When it comes to making the switch to a heart healthy lifestyle, high on the list is moving your body. So may Americans just don’t get the level of physical activity their bodies so desperately need. Lack of physical activity is linked to obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, all of which are preventable with the proper lifestyle changes.
The most common excuse for not exercising is, “I can’t find the time”.
However…
We always seem to find time for:
- Watching TV
- Social Media
- Going Out to Eat or Get Drinks
- Endless Mundane Household Tasks
Here’s a list of 5 ways to find more time for exercise.
1. Make an Action Plan: The best way to prioritize your time for exercise is to sit down and write out an action plan. Find out what time of the day you can squeeze in your workouts, and block out that time for them. Don’t allow anything else to get in that part of your schedule. Enter it into your phone reminders, your computer, and anywhere else that will force you to remember that the time is already spoken for.
2. Unplug and Turn Off: Consider limiting your screen time. Most of us will aimlessly scan the TV channels after dinner or work. What if you traded 30 minutes of that time in for a workout? Chances are, you’d feel so good about it that you wouldn’t miss your coach potato time.
3. Make a Priority List: Take out a sheet of paper and make three boxes on it. One box will be for “Family”, one for “Work”, and one for “Self”.
Now, chunk down the top three priorities for each of these categories in the boxes. For Family it might be something like cooking healthy meals, or helping with the kids at night. For work it might be finishing projects on time, or returning emails quickly. And for Self you might want to include 30 minutes of exercise 4 times per week.
Now block out time in your schedule to focus on doing these tasks, and honor your commitment to them. They are important.
4. Be You: One of the main reasons people don’t stick to a heart healthy lifestyle is that they choose the wrong type of exercise for their life. Exercise doesn’t have to be a weight grind in a gym. If you like to play sports, find a local rec league to join. If you like hiking…make it part of your regimen. Find what works for you…not the model on the magazine cover you like.
5. Keep it Brief: As we get older, long workouts are less effective for getting the results we want. That’s a good thing, because now you don’t have to use time as an excuse. Keep you workouts under 40-45 minutes (that includes warm up and cool down), and it’s a lot easier to find the time. Even a 10 minute workout is better than not training at all. If you want to exercise, you will find the time.
The hardest part is always getting started on any new lifestyle change. The second hardest part, is maintaining your momentum. That’s why I created my Accountability BFF Program! This low cost coaching option is a great way to have someone in your corner that can hold you accountable and make sure you stay on track.
If you don’t know where to start, I’m here for you. Each and every week I set aside times for what I call Success Strategy Sessions. These short (and FREE!) coaching calls are designed to get you moving toward your goals and reaching them at lightening speed. During the call we’ll talk about where you currently are, where you’d like to be, and come up with some quick actionable steps you can take right away.
These calls are FREE, but I only have a limited amount of time to do them each and every week. They are “first-come-first-serve”. Schedule a free Success Strategy Session today!