How to Add Fitness Workouts in a Busy Life Schedule
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The priority for fitness should be foremost. A busy life should not be a deterrent towards a healthy and fit life. You can make time for fitness workouts by making a habit to walk, cycle, or remain fit by engaging in activities like gardening and household chores. Here are the best ways to include fitness workouts in your busy life schedule so you can lead a healthy lifestyle. ~ Ed.
When the pandemic shook the world, humans realized one thing-our collective immunity levels are dangerously low. If we don’t take health seriously, we’d be prone to more pandemics in the future. With the Coronavirus still around, staying healthy is more important than ever.
With most people resuming their typical schedule, health becomes secondary again. Imagine living your ordinary life yet getting some time for self-care and health?
Yes, it’s possible if you manage your time smartly. Let’s check out a few ways to add workouts to your busy schedule.
10 Effective Ways to Include Fitness Workouts in Your Busy Life Schedule
The options are galore—go cycling, do gardening, or even workout during your work or TV time! Here are ten tips to incorporate fitness workouts in your busy schedule.
Get Up Early For Workouts
Early morning workouts are the best way to get your exercise done every day. So, even if you have a hectic day, it wouldn’t matter. You would still have completed your workout. Not just that, there’s nothing more refreshing and energizing than an intense start to your day. Exercising first thing in the morning will keep your energy levels sky-high throughout the day.
So try to wake up 30 minutes earlier than usual and use it to exercise. This will ensure you get time for a workout every morning. Even if you’re a late riser, it’s still possible to rise at least 15 minutes earlier. Once you do that for a week, you can increase it to 25 and then 35 and so on. But make sure you put in the effort every day.
Walk at Every Opportunity
People underestimate walking. But it’s an exercise with multiple benefits. So, try to sneak out for a walk whenever you can.
We get many chances to walk every day. It’s just that we never notice because we never wanted to. For instance, you may go shopping in your car or two-wheeler. Next time, take a walk.
Walk your pets more regularly, take a romantic walk in the park, and if you travel by bus or a train, get down one station before your destination and walk the rest. It is your responsibility to find an excuse to walk.
For one, it will free your mind. But most importantly, it will make you healthier in the long term. Remember, the most crucial step is to start.
Go Cycling
Cycling is a fun activity with multiple benefits. With a little effort, you can easily fit it into your schedule.
For instance, if you usually take your car for shopping or ride your car to the gym, replace it with a bike ride. In case your workplace is close by or at a moderate distance, cycle to work. And once you get familiar with cycling, you can increase the riding frequency.
Don’t forget to have an extra pair of clothes handy for times when it gets too sweaty. This way, you can do unplanned rides at any time.
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Do Household Chores
One reason you’re sidestepping fitness must be household chores. You have to do your cleaning, laundry, and more. And that’s why you’re complaining you have no time and ignoring fitness. But what if you do some creative workouts between your homely chores?
For instance, while cleaning your homes, lift chairs, tables, or small cabinets as you dust them off. This counts as lifting.
Fast cleaning is yet another workout alternative. Sweep the floor fast and increase the speed of scraping your dishes. The idea is to do everything at more than double your regular tempo. If you can sneak in a couple of jumping jacks and pushups in between, well and good!
Speed cleaning helps build muscle strength and body mass in your arms. You’ll burn calories with no equipment and pump up the blood circulation too.
The point is to have the right mindset to use everyday situations to improve health.
Do Gardening Often
Gardening is a deeply satisfying yet engaging activity. It has dual benefits. You’ll not only have a tidy garden to flaunt, but you would also complete your workouts with ease.
Gardening is a good fitness activity. It burns up to 300 calories an hour but barely feels like a workout. When you’re showing, weeding, or mowing, you engage all of your body and mind-muscle groups like arms, legs, neck, back, buttocks, and stomach spring into action.
That’s not all. Gardening engages your brain and stretches your mind. You plan the location of each plant and then execute it. Meanwhile, you feel all the aromas, colors, textures, and sounds of the plants. It is a truly sensory experience that is fun and relaxing too.
Perks of Gardening
With regular practice, gardening and all the action that comes with it reduces the risk of heart illnesses and diabetes. It also keeps osteoporosis and depression away.
As you touch the plants and get your hands and legs dirty, you contact nature. This helps you feel grounded and relaxes the mind.
Use the Staircase Often
“Staircase is a blessing. An elevator is a sin!”
We come across staircases almost every day, but we always look sideways towards the lifts. But, if you have fitness in your mind, staircases can be your best friend. Climbing stairs is a great workout for your legs and heart.
Make it a habit in your daily life. Take stairs at work and your apartment. Do it even if you have to climb five flights. It will help in the long run. Skip the escalators and choose stairs while visiting malls or metro stations.
Benefits of Climbing Stairs
Stair climbing is an intense activity. It burns more calories than running and walking. So, if you climb stairs for at least 30 minutes every day, you are bound to lose weight and stay in shape.
It has more benefits. Climbing strengthens your thigh, hip, and leg muscles. It also helps add more muscle mass to your lower body. By adding more good cholesterol to your blood, it improves circulation. Not just that, it gives you a good feeling because of the release of endorphins.
Use Work Commute for Workout
If you’re working throughout the week, and if your work involves travel every day, try to make your commute a workout in itself. If you travel by bus/car/metro, make it a bike commute. Or, if possible, get down early and walk the remaining distance to work. You can even run to your work if you can arrange for freshening up.
The point is, no matter how hectic your schedule, you can still find some way to work out.
Workout between Work
Just because you’re at work doesn’t mean you are out of options to work out. We’re only limited by our thoughts. There are many ways to add a workout session here and there, even if you are at work throughout the week.
Every time you take a brief break, get a quick round of pushups. You can do it inclined to a barricade or by using a cloth on the floor. Just make sure the place is clean, and you’re good to go. The possible workouts could be:
- A quick round of pushups during your tea or washroom breaks in your fitness room.
- A 3-set dumbbell workout for the arms during tea breaks. Keep your dumbbells at your office.
- A Walk around your office premises during your lunch break.
- A quick round of step walking during your brief breaks. Go downstairs and return in no time.
Hang out and Workout with friends
Time spent with friends might sometimes be the only relaxing time you have all week. But how about turning your hang-out plans into a workout plan? Instead of hanging out in a café and dining out, meet in a park instead. You can play games or go for a long walk, run or go for a bike ride. It will not only be more fun, but it will strengthen your friendship.
Discuss the idea with your friends when you plan your next meet-up and see how it pans out.
Use TV Time for Workout
You may be dying to watch your favorite TV series on your couch after a busy day. But don’t let that couch of yours take away an opportunity to work out. Make space between your TV and your sofa and do some pushups, jumping jacks, and burpees. This way, neither you miss your favorite show nor your workout.
Wrapping Up
While life can get a bit too busy sometimes, it is not impossible to workout. If you get more creative, you can mix and match your regular activities to fit some physical activity into your schedule. Make sure you do so. It is your responsibility to take care of your only asset that is your body.
Over to you
What smart ways would you like to suggest fitting in workouts to a busy life? Please share them in the comments section.
Disclaimer: We're not offering any medical advice here. These ideas are for educational and entertainment purposes only. Always seek a professional medical opinion from a physician of your choosing before making any medical decision. The information provided here is not intended to be a substitute to the advice given by your physician or another healthcare professional.
Disclaimer: Though the views expressed are of the author’s own, this article has been checked for its authenticity of information and resource links provided for a better and deeper understanding of the subject matter. However, you're suggested to make your diligent research and consult subject experts to decide what is best for you. If you spot any factual errors, spelling, or grammatical mistakes in the article, please report at [email protected]. Thanks.
Thank you for your article. Sometimes it’s hard when you have a stressful life and a full calendar to find time for yourself. Your article is a real help and has allowed me to take time for myself, to feel good and healthy. Thank you !
Looks great to read but difficult to achieve hahaha.
Although great article.
Great article, but it is hard in this pandemic time.
Thank you for such amazing tips. They worked wonders for me and I finally think I’ll be able to become the guys that work out.