subject: 5 Ways To Get A Good Workout Despite Your Busy Schedule [print this page] One of the reasons people give for not exercising is that they just don't have the time for it. There does not seem to be enough free time in their schedules to squeeze in even an hour's worth of exercise. Exhausted and stressed after a day at work, people only want to go home, rest and have something to eat.
According to our survey of 500 fitness buffs, about 28% of them exercise whenever they can. The same percentage of the respondents also prefer to do their workouts in the evening. On the other hand, the most popular time to exercise is in the morning with two hundred participants saying they train at that time. The least preferred time is in the afternoon.
Our energy levels fluctuate throughout the day because it follows a certain natural rhythm. Amazingly, our bodies adapt to the schedule of sleep, work and rest that each of us follows. Humans are made to have more energy during the part of the day the body does a lot of work and this is determined by previous behavior.
If you workout at 6 a.m. everyday, your body will be able to maximize any exercise regimen done at that exact time of day. It will not work as effectively at any other time. The difference however, is not that significant and working out at a time when your energy level is not at its peak is still better than not doing any exercise at all.
It would of course be great if you could do your workout at that time when you have the most energy but that is not a hard and fast rule. What is important is that you do your exercises regularly regardless of what time of day you do it.
Here are five tips to help you squeeze in a bit of a workout into your full schedule.
1. Make your workout short.
You do not have to do an hour of exercise, a 15-20 minute session is good enough. To get a good workout out of a shortened exercise time you, can increase its intensity and get almost the same results as a longer workout of a lesser intensity.
2. Get up 30 minutes earlier.
Extend your day by waking up half an hour earlier and doing your exercises. You'd be surprised at how your body will be able to get used to the new schedule.
3. Have a 30-minute lunch.
Split your lunch hour into two. Spend the first half working out and the second half eating. Exercising before you eat will somehow curb your hunger so you wouldn't feel like eating too much either.
4. Maximize baby's nap time.
If you are a stay-at-home parent, the best time to workout is when the baby takes a nap. Ten or 15 minutes of exercise is fine. If you do this at every opportunity, you will be able to do a total of about 20-30 minutes of exercise a day.
5. Design your own workout routine.
With a little bit of research, you can create an exercise program that includes resistance training and an aerobic or fat burning activity. You can do 10 minutes of weight training and 20 minutes of brisk walking or jogging per exercise session.
As you can see, you can get a good workout without having to block out a specific time to go to the gym. If you are willing to be flexible and are determined to achieve your exercise goals, nothing is impossible, even with a hectic schedule.
