5 Ways to Fit Fitness into Your Overloaded Schedule

No time? Make time?

I recently read a dismal study published in The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) that found on average, only about half of American adults got sufficient aerobic exercise and 29 percent performed sufficient muscle-strengthening activity.

National Exercise Guidelines were admittedly less than stringent: just two and a half hours of moderate intensity exercise or 75 minutes of higher-intensity exercise weekly. In other words, a 20-minute daily stroll or 15 minutes of more vigorous exercise five times a week.

Regardless of these minimal federal recommendations, the study found
only one in five participants complied. Unfortunately, we pay lip service to exercise but frequently short-change it among our ever-growing daily priorities.

"The most overused excuse for skipping exercise is, 'I don’t have enough time,' but the reality is: You chose to do something else you deemed as more important," writes Chris Freytag. "It’s a little wake-up call to take ownership of your choices. It’s easy to say you don’t have the time, it’s more challenging and disciplined to create the time."

As a personal trainer who works with Los Angeles’ time-starved elite, I can honestly testify that a solid workout will strengthen every aspect of your day. While I love my gym, you don’t need one, and you certainly don’t need hours to get a killer workout.

If time isn’t on your side and you’d rather have a root canal than do Romanian deadlifts, here are five strategies to get lean and toned in less time than it takes to find a parking spot at the gym.

1.      Make your home the gym. Your post-stressful office day unwinding includes Sex and the City reruns, not hours doing an elliptical machine or classes. That doesn’t mean you can’t veg out on the couch and get an amazing workout without going anywhere near a gym. Mind Body Green provides seven efficient, effective at-home workouts here. 

2.     Burst and blast fat. “High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a combination of fast bursts of exercises, coupled with rest periods,” says Nora Tobin. “Resting allows the body to maintain muscle (curves), while short, intense burst sheds fat (slim body). The intervals raise metabolic burn and keep your metabolism high for 24 hours post-workout, meaning your workout will continue to shape your body well after you finish the last rep.” Check out Tobin’s awesome 20-minute HIIT workout.

3.     Make it a two-fer. Recently I realized amidst the day’s chaos, I just couldn’t fit in both a coffee hour with my bestie and a good workout, so I invited her over for an intense lifting session. Win-win: we had a great visit and an even better workout.

4.     Walk whenever you can. “Research shows that regular, brisk walking is associated with lower blood pressure, improved mood and better cholesterol ratios,” writes Marina Chetner. If your park or lakeside trail isn’t accessible in cold weather, step it up (literally) with your hotel, airport, or apartment staircase.

5.     Purchase some equipment (and use it!). I’m not talking about a $3,000 Nautilus machine. (Where on earth would you put it ?) Some basics mean you can get an efficient, effective workout without stepping foot outside your door. “Stick with what works: a set of dumbbells, a kettlebell, a jump rope, and a TRX suspension trainer make total body workouts possible at home, outside or on the go,” says Joe Vennare. 

What’s your fast exercise solution when you’re short on time but want to fit in a solid workout? Share yours below.

______________________________________________________________________

WANT TO USE THIS ARTICLE IN YOUR EZINE OR WEB SITE?

You have permission to do so, free of charge, as long as the byline and

the article is included in its entirety:

Fitness expert and strength coach Jini Cicero, CSCS, teaches intermediate exercisers how to blast through plateaus to create incredible transformations. Are you ready to take your fitness to a whole new level?  Find out now!  www.Jinifit.com.  © 2015 Jinifit, Inc.

If you use the article you are required to activate any links found in the article and the by-line. Please do not use this article in any publication that is not opt-in (spam).