Busy Workweek? How to Squeeze in Regular Exercise No Matter What Your Schedule Looks Like

For a lot of working professionals, exercise is meant to be a key focus in their lives, but the reality of attempting to maintain a work-life balance prevents them from pursuing the active lives they want. However, those who give up often have a misconception of what fitness truly is. You don’t have to spend hours at the gym to be fit and healthy. You can easily squeeze in 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day, improve your mental and physical health, and avoid putting a strain on your schedule in the process. How? Let’s take a look at some helpful tips and tricks you can implement into your own life.

Before You Start: Determining Your Fitness Goals

If you struggle to fit in exercise on your current schedule, you must take the time to have an honest conversation with yourself about what you are looking to achieve. For those who are only looking to lead a more healthy and active lifestyle, this piece will be of great use to you. If you are looking to go into areas such as bodybuilding or engage in far more rigorous programs, however, you are going to find it more difficult into your schedule, let alone manage to squeeze in all the training you will need into a period of 30 minutes or less.

Take a moment to set realistic fitness goals that you will be able to achieve and that won’t stress you out in the long run. Ideally, we will want to set our sights on activities that are easier to work into your day. With that in mind, let’s get started!

1. Figure out When You Can Exercise Uninterrupted (and Block out That Time)

Each of us prefers to take care of personal tasks during different periods of the day. For some, exercise may fit well into their morning routine when they are getting ready and excited for the day ahead. For others, it may be better to take on exercise during a lunch break in the afternoon or at night once they have left work. Knowing exactly when you would like to work out and when you can make time to work out is the most important step in this process. With the right motivation, making 20 to 30 minutes of exercise happen daily will be simple.

2. What Level of Exercise Do You Want to Engage in?

Some people will only want to engage in light exercise that improves their mental and physical shape and some who will want to work with more demanding exercise that will help them to lose weight or change their physique. It’s important to ask yourself, what kind of exercise do I want to engage in? Are you merely looking to walk or jog to reap the benefits of physical activity or do you want to take on high-intensity exercises that will help you meet your fitness goals? This will play a major role in the next section!

3. Find Your Workouts and Schedule Them Into Your Week

Once you have a better idea of what you want to do, you can easily schedule your workouts into your week. For example, you may not be as ready for the week Monday as you are throughout the other days. This is the perfect opportunity to take on light activities like walking or jogging. Then, you can dedicate your other weekdays to exercise videos or short workouts that you put together yourself. No matter what your workouts may be, make sure that they help you meet your goals without adding extra stress to your current schedule.

4. Follow Through on Your Exercise Plan and Maintain Your Motivation

The most difficult part of this process is going from concept to action. Thinking about exercising is simple, but doing the work necessary to make your goals happen is an entirely different thing. Fortunately enough, motivating yourself to exercise is a common issue and there are plenty of solutions available that will help you to follow through. Take your new exercise schedule slowly, make sure that you have reminders of your goals on your phone or in other highly-visible areas, and learn how to make sure that your emotions don’t get in the way of your exercise. If you are someone who has difficulty motivating themselves, try holding yourself accountable by working out with others or letting your friends and family know about your goals.

Additional Tips: Making Simple Changes to Lead a More Active Lifestyle!

Many people believe that fitness stops at the gym or in the comfort of your home. However, that is simply not true. There are plenty of ways that you can squeeze small bursts of fitness throughout your day without having to engage in strenuous activity. For example, you could:

● Make the extra effort to get more walking in, whether that means taking the stairs to get to your office or occasionally leaving your car behind to walk to the tube or straight to your office. You can also engage in more activities at work that require you to travel around the office regularly.

● Take regular breaks from your desk to stand up, stretch, and move around. A little bit of exercise goes a long way, especially if you live a generally sedentary lifestyle at the moment.

● Consider getting a standing desk. Although a mix of standing and sitting is necessary to maintain your health, having a standing desk can keep you on your feet and make it easier to move around.

● Use your lunch break as an opportunity to break away from the office and walk or jog to your nearest food establishment. (Just remember that you shouldn’t be consuming large quantities of fattening, salty, or sugary foods daily!)

● Get small exercise equipment and tools that you can keep in your office and use when you have the opportunity.

Jumpstarting Your Fitness Journey With Our Partners

Overall, the only barrier to becoming more physically fit is yourself! If you are looking to jumpstart your new fitness plan, you can always take advantage of our partnership with Fiit, the #1 rated fitness app that allows you to take classes on-demand, right from the comfort of your own home using their mobile app that connects to your TV. Whether you are looking for HIIT classes or relaxing yoga sessions, you can find it by signing up with the code “WELLBE25” which will give you 25 percent off upon checkout.

You can also take advantage of our other opportunity with our partner Auro, an audio fitness app that provides you with on-demand audio training that you can utilize anywhere, making it perfect for the individual who is always on the go. If you’re worried about connectivity, the good news is that you can download Auro classes to use when you find yourself offline. To take advantage of this offer, which includes a free 30 days of unlimited audio workouts, use the code “wellbe” at checkout!

If you’re looking for something a little more beginner-friendly as you build your way up to a fitter lifestyle, you should consider looking at the “Lean in 15” programs by Joe Wicks on YouTube. Our very own Ceara from WellBe lost 2.5 stone in just 90 days with these quick and effective workouts!

If exercise is a priority, there are plenty of ways to fit it into your packed schedule without taking away from your other major tasks. Just 20 to 30 minutes daily can help you improve your health and meet your fitness goals. To make sure that you get there successfully, use the guide above to help you figure out your goals, properly schedule your workouts, and follow through on everything you want to achieve.