You know you’re supposed to work out more. Whether you hope to lose a few pounds, improve a medical condition or just have more stamina to tackle the day, regular exercise is the answer. But – and there’s always a but – most of your days are really busy, filled with work, projects around the house and maybe taking care of children. By the end of the day, you’re too tired to work out. Enough! There are no excuses for not working out since there are four simple ways to do so even on busy days.
1. Sign Up for Lessons
Maybe it’s something about the idea of potentially wasting money. Or that being able to schedule “one-on-one time with my trainer” into your daily calendar is something you’re more willing to commit to than telling yourself you’ll “get around to exercising” if you have time. Sign up for professional training and watch how easy it is to make time for exercise when you know your instructor is waiting for you. Better yet, ask for private lessons at home. There’s no need to worry about how to get to the gym when the professional from the gym comes to you.
2. Find a Fun Activity
Part of the reason you subconsciously avoid exercising is probably because you don’t enjoy it. If you did enjoy it, you’d make time to do it. You’ve been working out the wrong way. There should be some activity you enjoy, so try something new until you find the one that will make you eager to find time to work out. For example, you might try yoga, swimming, dance classes or weight training instead of aimless running on a treadmill.
3. Get the Office Involved
A healthy workforce is a more productive workforce. If you really have no time at all to add a new activity to your day because you spend so much at work, talk to your manager or HR representative about incorporating exercise into the work day. Professional trainers can visit you and your co-workers for quick sessions during your lunch hour or breaks. You won’t even have to leave the office to fit the exercise into your day.
4. Work Out with Friends or Family
When you have an exercise buddy, you’re less likely to give up because you know that someone’s there to prod you to get back to work. Find a friend or family member to work out with on a regular basis, or turn family time into exercise time by going for a walk with the kids around the block after dinner.
When you start looking at working out as something you want to do instead of something you have to do, you’re going to find it easier to fit physical activity into your day. Part of the reason you find yourself so tired at the end of the day is because you’ve been avoiding exercise. Stop wasting your precious free time vegging out in front of the TV. Exercise will give you more energy so you can do more fun things in the free time you have.