We’re going to look at no excuse hacks that’ll get you fit even when you’re too busy because the truth is that everyone would love to be fit. Now, there are levels of fitness for sure, but no matter what level of fitness suits you, if you think you’re too busy to get to that fitness level, then let’s concentrate on hacks that’ll get you started.
We suggest you start by making small improvements each day. Working your way up to getting incrementally more fit is an opportunity to work smarter, not harder. But I can promise you, once you start on your journey, you’ll be feeling so good, you won’t want to quit. Nor should you. Health and fitness is a life-long journey of living life to its fullest.
Now, about that being too busy stuff.
I do, indeed, understand the need to work, the effort to get ahead, the drive to create something more comfortable for you and your family.
My question is how does that get achieved if you’re all broken down and sick? If, on vacation, you can’t walk the village because of your knees or your back hurting, is this what you planned on? If that stress level is taking its toll by showing up with mysterious aches and pains, has that nose to the grindstone served you well?
So many things can and do go wrong but there are ways to minimize and even eliminate those outcomes.
Are you too busy for those dreams that lurk in the back of your mind, those goals that make you feel expansive and full of curiosity? Have you even taken time out to let your mind wander off into the world of life-changing ideas?
What would you really like to be doing? When the thought comes into mind, does the other side of you shut it down just as quickly as it appeared because perhaps it’s just ‘not practical’?
Or is it that the harder you work, the more you lose control of your time?
Are you so busy working so hard that your dreams are a distant blur? And has it been a month of Sundays since you’ve actually scheduled time for self-care?
What level of priority does your fitness desire show up in your life? How do you value the dream of being fit, feeling great, looking good and moving well?
Do you value fitness and health as much as you value your work? Or does fitness and self-care go into the ‘leisure time’ column along with sleeping a full night and eating well?
First Hack: Too Busy is an Excuse
The first hack is to quit using being too busy as a reason to ignore your fitness and health. That, my friend, is truly an excuse. If you were to evaluate every minute of your day, including scrolling your media feeds, you’d find some time lingering about.
Besides, we put our attention where our intention resides. And since this is no-excuse hacks to get fit even when you’re too busy, it’s time to re-evaluate your priorities, your values and your schedule.
“All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”
Gandalf the Grey, J.R.R. Tolkien
Isn’t it time to take back control of your time by taking ownership of what you do and when?
Self-care is truly non-negotiable. We can’t take care of anyone or anything if we aren’t taken care of. Planning to put the priority on self-care and scheduling into your calendar is crucial to success with not just your fitness goals, but with your career, your relationship…well, with your life.
Hack Two: Don’t Downplay the Value of Exercise
Exercise isn’t just for great abs or weight loss. Exercise gives you the mental firepower you need to do your job well, to have the stamina you need for prolonged periods of concentration, to be productive and to do your work with clarity and confidence.
Plain and simple, exercise helps you perform better Exercise helps you build better connections with your colleagues, clients, your boss, and better relationships with your family and friends.
Exercise has such a huge impact on your life, it’s called the Keystone Habit.
Not having time does not mean you push the priority of exercise aside, the very thing that keeps you in top form. In fact, being able to successfully incorporate exercise into your busy schedule is the work that needs to be done for your career and your life.
It’s time to shift from the common belief that exercise is a selfish indulgence that requires some sort of sacrifice at work or at home.
Have you considered that improper planning to be a root cause?
Hack Three: Understand What Exactly is It That’s Using Up All Your Time
“We tend to postpone the things we love to do until we finish the things we have to do. It’s hard enough to finish the things the world has told us we must do. As a result, the things that make life worth living get pushed off the table. We live in a world of abundance unlike anything history has seen. The technology in our pockets makes complex things simple. Still, we find ourselves living in overwhelm.” Frank Buck
The evidence seems to point to the fact that we aren’t very accurate in evaluating our time management proficiency. In fact, some would say that it’s an art form to manage our time efficiently and get things done, and dare I say, without feeling stressed.
As it turns out, people who are good with time management are actually just better at prioritizing and evaluating what really needs to be done, than delegating or discarding the rest.
If that seems too severe or confusing, there are matrixes that categorize and define from high to low importance and when to take action.
Your health and fitness activities are to be included in your priority lists so you can:
- Find that more-than-ever-important life-work balance
- Keep track of your personal goals
- Have a more realistic view of what needs to get done
One more thing. If you find yourself getting distracted more than you’d like to, consider that you haven’t clarified your goals and the action steps you need to take that’ll get you there.
Hack Four: There are Many Ways to Bake a Cake
Something I always tell clients is not to schedule your long workout on your busiest days. You can use that day as one of your days of rest for the week. (We generally suggest one or two days of rest from structured workouts per week.)
Having said that, you could accumulate your workout on that busy day by breaking up exercising in small time slots throughout the day.
By walking 10-15 minutes 3-4 times during your busy day, you could accumulate a 45 minute to 1 hour worth of work that could actually burn a good amount of calories, and it can help you tackle your day with more ease, focus and confidence.
Taking breaks in between periods of focused concentration will help rejuvenate your mood and give your brain the impetus and power to get back at it. Taking a break particularly works well especially if you’re stuck in overwhelm.
Would it be possible to wake up 15 minutes earlier on that busy day and do a lighter workout with a video following the moves while you go on auto pilot.
As for the email monster and other notifications — as urgent and useful as they might seem, they often aren’t. Use the technology to categorize importance and then set times during the day when you check your email.
Allowing blocks of time for work, exercise, checking emails and other notifications and being diligent in keeping ALL of your appointments will have you wondering why you haven’t done it before. It’s easy and you’re more productive. You’ll get done those things that are important to you as well as the ones important to your boss or clients.
Our 8 Proven Strategies for Better Health After 50 and our 5 Steps to Boost Your Health and Your Productivity include strategies and tips on the top concerns of men and women cresting middle age and beyond. It also includes practical easy-to-do solutions that fit into those busy schedules so you can improve your health and fitness. Check them out here.
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