TOO BUSY TO EXERCISE

Your energy is starting to fade: it’s 3pm. You had planned to hit the gym straight after work, but you still have so many urgent things pressing on you. It gets to 5pm and you have no idea how you’re going to get everything done, let alone workout. Besides, you’re tired and you want to relax after work and spend time with your loved ones. There’s always tomorrow, right? If this sounds familiar, read on. Let’s face it. No matter how much we read about the benefits of exercise, many of us still struggle to find the motivation needed to leave the important tasks we’re working on, get into our active wear and get moving.

HERE ARE THREE TIPS TO HELP YOU:

1. Focus on how that workout is going to make you feel When we’re busy, we often get so consumed with what we’re doing that we fail to notice how our body is feeling. If we’re using up a lot of brain energy and churning out tasks, it’s easy to miss the signals our body is giving us. Signals, like tension around our shoulders or in our neck or head, a feeling of restlessness or lethargy, or just a general feeling of frustration from being stuck at our desk. Often when we are finding it hard to pull ourselves away from our work, thinking about benefits like ‘Exercise will make me live longer’ or ‘Exercise will help me lose those 10 kilos I’ve been wanting to lose for years’ isn’t going to cut it. We need to think about more immediate benefits than that.

The best thing to focus on is how you’re going to feel both during your workout as well as after it. We’ve all experienced that rush of endorphins and release of tension by moving – even if it’s just a walk in the fresh air. It’s one of the best ways to make yourself feel better.

2. put your ‘why’ in your face If the main things you are experiencing during your day are your computer screen, phone, coffee and deadlines, this takes its toll on your body. When we’re busy, our body often takes on tension, from a sense of urgency to get more done. Let’s be honest – most of us very rarely complete our To-Do list and there are always more items being added to it. When does it end? The fact is, it doesn’t. You will probably always have things to do. So sometimes it helps to make peace by leaving some tasks undone until later.

Granted, there are sometimes emergencies that pop up that can’t be helped, but many things can usually wait. Even 30 minutes of movement will create a better feeling that will help you get your tasks done afterwards. Use the energy from your workout to propel you to more productivity.

This is where putting your ‘why’ in your face is so helpful. Place statements, pictures and inspiration around you to remind yourself why keeping active is important to you. Even a post-it note will suffice if that’s all you have time for at the moment. If you are able to carve out 15 minutes to find some inspiring photos and quotes, even better.

3. Make a date with yourself Now that you’re super clear on your ‘why’ and the

benefits to YOU of exercise, it’s time to make sure that you have a date planned. If you don’t cancel appointments with your boss, your doctor, your clients or your friends, why do you cancel appointments with the most important person in your life – yourself? Honouring your promises and commitments to yourself is one of the best ways to build your self-image.

If your health is important to you and one of your highest values, does your diary reflect this? Is some movement featured in your calendar every day? If there is, how often do you honour that appointment with yourself? If you are blowing it off regularly, you may find that some of your self-confidence is being blown off with it.