10 Ways To Fit Exercise Into A Busy Schedule
Hustle culture fooled us into thinking we need to go faster, harder, bigger, and bolder to be effective in anything in life, but especially when it comes to fitness.
Despite the fact that most of us can recognize how great we feel after working out- when life gets in the way, it’s once of the first things we pull back from. From then on, it’s easy to fall into a workout rut or for days and weeks to pass between formal workout sessions because once it falls out of a habit, once you stop feeling those regular benefits that remind you why you intentionally do physically challenging things- it’s harder to start again. The further removed you are from the feel good aspect, the less likely you are to psyche yourself up for the uncomfortable parts.
While exercising on a regular basis undoubtedly improves your health, it’s more important to have a healthy and sustainable practice that you enjoy than it is to do crazy high intensity, grueling, time consuming workouts every single day. Our bodies weren’t designed for the 21st century sendetary lifestyle, and it shows when we start to feel aching backs, tight hips, limited mobility and low energy.
How To Make Fitness Fit Your Lifestyle
Stretch first thing in the morning to help you wake up (this one you can do IN bed!)
Set multiple alarms breaking up your day (between meetings, while you’re listening to a podcast, when your mom calls) and do a Midday Moves flow (see Quick Exercises That Fit In Your Busy Schedule for more!)
Do calf/heel raises while you’re brushing your teeth (if you really wanna go big, do one leg at a time)
Try standing on one leg while washing the dishes (switching halfway through) to improve balance
Take meetings on your AirPods while on a walk
Every time your boss emails you, stand and stretch before responding (try these!)
Keep a tennis ball at your desk so you can foam roll your feet while you work
If we ever go anywhere again, take the stairs when/if possible
Ditto for parking at the opposite side of the parking lot
Set the “stand” function on your Apple watch to remind you to move when you haven’t in a while
4 Quick Exercises That Fit In Your Busy Schedule
(Click through the link to see video demos!)
Power Posing & Spinal Mobility
Conclusion
Movement is good for you. Your brain, your heart, your mood, your sleep, your sex drive….despite knowing this, it can still be overwhelming to fit it into your schedule when you’re already strapped for time. Instead of beating yourself up for not having time to do a full length work out, play around with different areas of your life that can incorporate more feel good movement, so you get the mental and physical health boosting benefits no matter how crazy your G-Cal is. I post Midday Movement Flows every week on IG and on Helen Phelan Studio, there are over 200 body neutral, athletic, pilates based workouts varying in length from 5-50 minutes and organized by intention, body focus, duration, and equipment used so there is always something to suit whatever your body needs in THAT moment.
Try it out free for 10 days here!