Can’t find the time to exercise?
As a Health and Fitness Coach, one of the most frequently asked questions I get from new clients is, “Larry, what should I do, I just don’t have time to exercise? In our fast-paced world today with so many of us balancing multiple roles, as an employee or business owner, parent, spouse, household manager, and responsible citizen, finding time to exercise can be a real problem.
Most of us realize that regular physical exercise is absolutely necessary to maintain our overall health and fitness, keep our weight down, look and feel great, and stay young longer. So what is the answer to this time problem? Well, I have very good news for you. Several studies, including one published in The Journal of Physiology, show that short bursts of intense exercise, equivalent to just a few minutes per day, can produce even better results than traditional cardio training or spending hours in the gym lifting weights.
You may not have time to go to the gym, but everyone can find just 7-10 minutes per day to exercise at home. So, with recent research findings and some new exercise and training techniques, a lack of time should no longer keep you from reaching your health and fitness goals. The key is to first make the decision to make taking care of your health and fitness a top priority. Then take steps to find ways to fit a few minutes of exercise into your schedule 4-5 times a week. Once you’ve made that decision, you’ll discover that there are many ways to achieve your health and fitness goals in just minutes each day.
If you don’t have time to hit the gym, get a small bench or fitness ball and a set of dumbbells for your strength training exercises. You’ll also find that there are plenty of effective bodyweight exercises you can do in just minutes, as well as short, intense interval cardio exercises, which will burn lots of calories, help you lose weight, and strengthen your cardiovascular system.
You can also find ways to fit some exercise into your daily schedule. Go ahead and make a list of times, places, and ways you could fit some form of physical activity into your day. Are there stairs in your office or apartment building? Go ahead, and upload them for five or ten minutes a day. When you are running a short errand, can you walk instead of taking the car?
Do you take an hour for lunch at work? Use 10-15 minutes to walk, stretch, or do sit-ups, lunges, or dips. The bottom line is that no matter how busy your daily schedule is, a lack of time doesn’t have to stop you from losing weight and getting fit, slim and healthy. And, in fact, ongoing exercise research clearly shows that short, intense strength training and cardio are actually much more effective than long, slow cardio or spending hours in the gym.