START WITH THE SUN
WITH LIFE RAMPING UP AGAIN AFTER THE HOLIDAY PERIOD, HERE’S HOW TO GET (AND STAY) FIT WHEN YOU HAVE NO SPARE TIME
We all have busy, chaotic lives and it can sometimes feel like we have no time to sleep, let alone exercise. It can become a self-fulfilling prophecy when we groan at the alarm in the morning, or find that late-night gym session wiped out by a mound of paperwork or meeting prep. After a while the idea of going for a run or attending an exercise class can seem like a distant memory. Before long, our waistlines start expanding and we experience a negative spiral of low self-esteem.
Sound familiar? I know it does to me. It’s so much easier to skip the gym and watch the television, or lie in bed and scroll social media. It might even feel like that’s all you can do after a long day at work. However, it’s important to remember that our sedentary lives are the source of a lot of health problems and if we want to avoid them, we are going to have to change our patterns of thinking and action. Let’s look at what we have to do to make this happen.
1. FORMULATE A PLAN
If we fail to plan, we plan to fail. Unless we have something written in our calendar, it likely isn’t going to happen. That’s why planning our exercise sessions in advance is one of the most important things we can do. Make it a repeat event. Show up at the allotted time regardless of how you feel and begin to make the action a habit. Over time you may actually begin to enjoy it.
2. PICK THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT
Many people avoid going to the gym because of the amount of time it takes to get there and back. With everything else going on, it can just seem inconvenient to sit in traffic. It’s important you pick your exercise environment carefully. Ask yourself some questions. Do you really need to go to a gym at all? Could you go to a pool for a swim or run on the street? If you really do need a gym to exercise, be sure to pick the closest one to your house; one that will have the least impact on your timetable.
3. STEP AWAY FROM THE SCREEN
The amount of time we spend looking at our mobile phones or computers is staggering. Whether we like to admit it or not, a lot of that time is completely wasted, either comparing ourselves to others on social media or scrolling aimlessly through content we aren’t even engaging with. From now on, set a usage limit on your screen time.
4. MAKE THE MOST OF THE MORNING Many of the most successful people in the world make an early start a daily priority and it’s easy to see why. When you have a stacked schedule, it can be easy for things to get away from you, making that hour or so before anyone else wakes up essential to personal growth and productivity. If our eventual success is a series of incremental steps, then getting up early and exercising without distractions can make a big difference over a long period of time.
“MANY OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL PEOPLE IN THE WORLD MAKE AN EARLY START A DAILY PRIORITY.”