How to Fit in a Workout When You’re Super Busy
I know life is crazy busy. Whether it’s consumed by work, parenting, or whatever we all get busy and I get it! I frequently get asked the question “how do you find time to workout?” Well, I’ll tell you! First of all I had to change my mindset about working out first. I realized that in the real world there would rarely be a perfect 6 day workout week and that’s okay! Whenever I’m not able to squeeze in a workout I usually dial in on my nutrition to off-set. If getting a quick sweat sesh isn’t in the cards for you that day or week then I strongly suggest focusing on your diet (it’s truly the next best thing). I mean diet makes up 80% of the progress you will see when it comes to getting healthy/losing weight. When you shift your focus to not stress out that you can’t workout, but instead focus on something you can control (eating), it’ll be so much easier to keep your goals in check. I mean let’s be honest, you can workout 6x a week but if you don’t fuel your body properly it’s all for nothing!
Besides really focusing on my nutrition, I also try to make time for even a 10-15 minute workout session or short bursts of exercise throughout my work day. But I will say most of the time I make a very conscious effort to get at least a 20-30 minute workout in first thing in the morning. I know this isn’t something that is do-able for everyone, but just hear me out.
Here are my tips for fitting in an actually effective workout when you have limited time:
Do it first thing in the AM -- My current routine is to wake up at 5 AM, take my all natural pre-workout (linked here), and start my workout by 5:30. If I tried to workout when I got off work at 6:30 PM I would fail miserably. For me it’s just easier to bust it out first thing than to expect myself to be motivated/energized enough to do it after work. Another option would be to workout on your lunch break. For me this isn’t an option as my lunches are only 30 minutes. But if you have an hour lunch use the first 20 minutes to crush your workout!
Get some hype juice – I personally can’t go a morning without my all natural pre-workout (linked here). It gives me the boost I need to workout so early without all of the nasty jitters like other pre-workout supps. I highly recommend finding one (if not the one I use) if you plan to workout early in the morning! I also have a shaker cup of water in the fridge waiting for me for extra convenience.
Get your clothes ready – Save a step in your morning shuffle (and maybe catch some more zzz’s) by laying out your workout attire the night before. I get whatever outfit I want to wear set out the night before so all I have to do is get out of bed and put it on.
Workout somewhere close – If you’re having to drive over 5 minutes to get to your workout place then you’re going to use that as an excuse not to go. Especially when you’ve only got 20 minutes to get something done. I know at home workouts aren’t for everyone, but they’re SO convenient it’s not even funny. There are so many workouts that don’t require equipment and can be done literally anywhere. Plus, it’ll save you $$ from high gym membership costs. Zach and I make our own lifting and HIIT programs (fill out this form if you’re interested), and we also do cardio via Beachbody (linked here).
Make your time count – If you’ve only got 20 minutes to get something done then you better give it your best effort. Pick a workout format that is going to give you the best bang for your buck. Depending on how many days a week you’re planning to workout alternate muscle groups and add in sprinkles of cardio. Total body workouts are amazing but aren’t meant to be done daily, so mix things up! Give it your all in those 20 minutes, but remember the only bad workout is the one that didn’t happen!
