How will I ever find time to workout with my busy schedule?
It’s a question that anybody who exercises regularly has had to deal with. Finding time to workout is not easy, it’s unlikely, and quite frankly, you shouldn’t even try to find time to workout.
What kind of advice is that for a workout site?
It’s good advice. Because the truth is, if you are looking to “find” time to workout, you’ll probably be looking for a very long time. You have a job, you have to study, maybe you have kids… you’re a busy person, and I seriously doubt that you’re going to “find” the time laying around. No, the only way you will ever have time to workout is if you stop trying to “find” the time and start making the time.
And if you’re not struggling with time for your workouts now, you will some day. Get into the mindset right now that it will be tough to keep the exercise habit at some point in your life (if it isn’t already). Mentally preparing those times of life in advance will help you to deal with them when they finally arrive.
Here’s an incomplete list of ways to make the time:
1. Choose your time wisely: Each time of the day has it’s benefits, but be open to other times, such as the morning. You might not have the same schedule for the rest of your life, and since you’ve already decided to keep in shape for life, you’ll need to keep an open mind.
2. Increase the intensity: Take slightly less rest between sets over time. Also, try supersetting 2 smaller exercises together. For example, go directly from doing a set on your abs to a set of calf raises without resting between. This can help cut the time down.
3. Do some workouts at home: Ab crunches, standing calf raises…. You don’t need a safety rack or setup to do these effectively. Also, abs and calves tend to recover more quickly than other muscle groups, and they will benefit from the greater frequency you can give them by working them at home on the days you don’t plan to go to the gym.
4. Get a home gym: This is a better time saver than just doing a few workouts at home. Not everyone has a place for a home gym, and going beyond the intermediate stage will push you toward a full gym. But basic lifts with a barbell and a rack will be plenty good to get into great shape.
5. Combine weights and cardio: If weight training and a good diet aren’t enough to help you keep your fat levels down, then combining weights and cardio on the same day will save time over working out on separate days. Do your weights first, get a protein shake to hold you over until your next meal, and then do your cardio.
6. Child care: If you’ve got kids, child care can be a real godsend. Some gyms offer it in the evenings as a free service, and it can make all the difference in finding a time to workout. If you have kids or might have them soon, keep this in the back of your mind when you choose a gym.
7. Use TV and phone time: These are great times to do your static stretches. Do them after your workout while you’re still warm to help get your muscles lengthened back out and ready for your next workout. Don’t stretch immediately before a workout, as this can lead to injuries.
8. Involve family & friends: If your significant other complains that they have to compete with your workouts for your time, try to bring them with you. It’s a good time to be together in a low stress (at least emotionally) environment, you help each other out by spotting, learn to work together… All that mushy stuff.
9. Schedule it: Just like anything else in your life that’s important. Make the time, write it in your schedule, let people know…. Do what you have to do.
10. Make it a priority: We tend to focus on things that are urgent in life. Working out is important, but you won’t die immediately if you don’t exercise, so you think it’s not urgent… but you will be slowly dying over the years. Your health is important, and you have to realize that it is also urgent. It affects all the other aspects of your life and your ability to do other urgent things, such as getting good rest, feeling energized, having confidence, getting things done at work… I could go on and on.
You may have noticed above that I said that this is an incomplete list. That’s because you also have great experiences with making the time when life gets busy. Add your items to the list in the comments section below.
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February 20th, 2008 at 8:54 am
The one about TV is really important. People really don’t notice how much television they actually watch. Heros, then Prison Break, then 24 – thats 4 hours of television you really didn’t need.
RT
February 20th, 2008 at 9:13 am
Great advice Jason. I think it’s about making time – not about finding it :)
February 20th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
RT- Yeah, I’ve heard the average American watches around 14 hours of TV a day. I do like to watch the news while I do some stretching, but it’s better to just not watch it at all because you get hooked.
Alex- thanks man
February 20th, 2008 at 7:50 pm
If you’re too tired to workout, try taking a shower. It takes a little more time, but once you do it you have more energy to get in the gym and get a real workout in. When you have the energy you make the time.
February 20th, 2008 at 10:15 pm
Well said about “making” time insteady of “trying” to make time. Luckily for me I work four ten hour shifts a week, so that enables me two days out of the week to train fully refreshed and rested.
But I train three times a week and one of those days requires that I go after a long, laborious shift. It’s so easy for me to make excuses to not go but I don’t bother deliberating, I just go and do it.
I make that my light day, I do front squats instead of back squats and just do some dips instead of bench pressing, etc. That may be one way to lighten the load a little bit when training on busy days.
Bottom line you have to just do what works for you and just do it! No excuses, either you want it or you don’t!
February 20th, 2008 at 10:26 pm
Mike- Thanks for adding #11. Really, that’s a great idea, and I think I’ll try it sometime when I’m dead tired.
Sean- Great approach to reading what your body is telling you. It’s tough after a long day of work.
February 21st, 2008 at 2:07 am
Hi Jason
All pertinent points, I particularly relate to working out at home. And, I like the idea of cutting down TV time.
February 21st, 2008 at 8:15 am
That’s 14 hours a week man!
I’m not even awake for 14 hours a day!
RT
February 21st, 2008 at 12:33 pm
RT- Whoops, I meant to type week but typed day instead. Yep, the study says that the average American watches 14 hours of TV a week.
February 21st, 2008 at 4:44 pm
Lol! 14 hours a day… That would really be insane. I also wondered a little when I saw that! Glad that it was per week. Still a lot though.
February 24th, 2008 at 6:21 pm
Thanks for the extremely helpful article, Jason.
Here’s a couple more ideas:
1) Combine travel and exercise, for instance I like to rollerblade home from work – the commute is a bit longer but I save time by combining them.
2) do what you feel like doing for your energy level and mood at the moment – as long as it’s something. (This is my secret to healthy living ;)
Hope these work for others as well as they did for me.
Thanks again and keep up the valuable posts!
February 18th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
“Make it a priority” … Yeah!!
Don’t go overboard though. If you love beer more than anything in the world and are reasonable shape then you shouldn’t be afraid to open a beer once a week, right? Once a fortnight? Let the workouts change your life for the better, not for the worse.
The point is… Make sure your priorities are in order, and then ensure that you do the things with the highest priority!
June 17th, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Good stuff – Personally, I’ve found that the home gym doesn’t work for me between the kids, wife, phone calls, etc. I hit the gym first thing in the morning because scheduling conflicts are much less likely at 5:00 in the morning. It also helps that I’m paying a membership. I’m much less likely to skip when I know I’m paying for it. And you get to know the people in the gym. They’re not going to bust your chops for missing, but it does seem to add a small bit of accountability, even if it’s only in my head.
Thanks for the site.