How To Make Time For Fitness

The most common reason fitness gets put on the back burner is because we don’t believe we have the time.

But time is rarely the issue.

Instead, it can be a way of disguising what the real problem is.

If we dig deeper, we usually find that there are reasons why we are not prioritizing our fitness that go beyond feeling like there are not enough hours in the day.

Lack of motivation.
Not knowing what to do for your workouts.
No accountability.

There’s 15, 20 minutes of your day here and there but you don’t have the motivation to get up and start working out.

Once you do start, you feel like you have no idea what you’re doing. You know that it would be best to have a plan, but you don’t know what the best plan is, and so you don’t do anything.

There’s no one checking in on you, making sure that you pushed yourself to get that workout done and to high-five you once it’s complete.

Yes, you’re busy. There is no denying that. But if we have honest conversations with ourselves, there is always more to uncover.

Here are some practical strategies to get you going!

60 seconds of movement

You know something is always better than nothing, we don’t have to tell you that. If you think of the last time you really had to will yourself to start working out or to drive to the gym, you will recall that once you were in the midst of the workout, you were completely fine.

Next time you don’t want to workout, make yourself a promise to do 60 seconds of movement. Make it a rule. It can literally be anything, from a hip flexor stretch to twerking. If after 60 seconds you decide you’re still not going to workout, fine you’re done. But at least you did a minute of movement.
What usually will happen though is standing up and going through movement will push you to do more, because you broke through that initial barrier of not wanting to do anything. And that first barrier is always the toughest!

Have a plan

Not knowing what to do brings everyone discomfort. We want to be self-sufficient individuals in all parts of our lives, including fitness. The best way to do this (and to see results) is to get on a structured plan.

This can look different for everyone:

Hire a fitness coach.
Join group classes.
Purchase a program from a fitness professional online.
Do some research and take time once a week to write out all of your workouts.

If we know what actually needs to be done, we are much more likely to do it.

The power of community

How much more fun (and maybe slightly easier) is a workout when you have someone to do it with?
Do not underestimate the power of community and being surrounded by others as a way to help you make time for your fitness. Group classes are great for this as well as teaming up with a good friend to become workout buddies or investing in a fitness coach. Someone is there to meet you at the gym, to hold you accountable, and you’re also expected to hold them accountable.
You’ll work hard when there is someone there who knows what you’re capable of.