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How to Fit Exercise into a Busy Schedule

By Kyle Almoney
ACE Certified Personal Trainer

One of the common problems I run into when working with people that are looking to get into a healthy lifestyle and change habits is the “I just do not have enough time to do it” misconception. While most people live busy lifestyles nowadays, exercise can fit into those schedules by just changing how we approach it.

Each week, adults need 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity and 2 days of muscle strengthening activities, according to the current Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. However, to some, when you break down 30 minutes of activity 5 days a week, even that can be challenging. So how does someone go about getting all that activity into his or her schedule? Below are three tips that anyone can use to incorporate exercise into their schedule.

 

  1. Allot 10 minutes, three times a day. Rather than doing it all at once, break up those 30 minutes into three. A workout is a workout, no matter how long or short. Allow yourself 10 minutes to get your heart rate up. Use breaks in your day to go for a walk, do pushups or jumping jacks, and you will benefit from the activity.
  2. Maximize your daily movement and get creative. Find ways to workout in daily everyday activities to incorporate exercise into your life. These can be as simple as the following:

a. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
b. Complete 10 pushups when you wake up in the morning.
c. Do jumping jacks, squats or burpees during commercial breaks while watching TV.
d. Replace a daily distraction, such as scrolling on social media, with an activity like walking around your neighborhood.
e. If you sit at a desk for work, get out of your chair every 20 minutes to do calf raises or stretch. Set an alarm to keep you moving throughout the day.

  1. Plan and schedule your workouts ahead of time. It’s the old saying “failing to plan is planning to fail.” Sometimes just finding the minutes here and there during the day is as simple as working it into your schedule. Plan your workouts ahead of time as well maximizing your workouts and get the most benefit.

These are just three things to help you get started on your exercise journey. As with anyone starting exercise, make sure to check with your doctor to make sure you are ready to start and to make sure that you do not have any limitations that you need to avoid. Nevertheless, with anything is in life, the most important step it taking that first one- so get moving!


About the Author:

Kyle Almoney is the Community Health Director at the YMCA of the Roses and a member of the Diabetes Coalition of York. If you have any questions, feel free to contact him at Kalmoney@rosesymca.org with any questions you.

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