A significant part of maintaining a work-life balance is to ensure that you allot enough time for fitness activities. Even a 30-minute or an hour workout per day is enough, especially if you have an extremely busy schedule.
No one is ever too busy for a workout.
Think about it; a one-hour workout is only 4% of your day (or 2% for a 30-minute workout). That should convince you to make time for fitness activities, especially if you want to promote better health.
Do you think that your schedule is too hectic for a workout? Think again! You just need to be smart about how you allocate your time for every activity during the day. If you have the right mindset and learn how to motivate yourself, maintaining your fitness is highly possible.
First, improve your diet
Diet is an integral component of a fitness lifestyle and everyone will benefit from cutting down on processed foods and increasing their intake of vegetables. You don’t need to be a full vegan to benefit from best vegan cookbooks, but good, simple, recipes will definitely make it much easier to up your plant-based quotient.
And don’t worry about protein. With more and more top athletes coming out as plant-based advocates, it’s clear that you can get as much protein as you need, to build your fitness and muscle tone, without meat and dairy.
Set Fitness Goals
Before you develop a workout and fitness routine to fit into your busy schedule, you must first identify your goals. Knowing your fitness goals is essential so you can map out the steps needed to achieve them.
- Stretch more
- Start every month with a new workout
- Every week, do something that actively de-stresses you
- Walk 10,000 steps a day during your commute, shopping or the school run
- Perfect your form in one or two months
When you have a busy lifestyle or schedule, it is important that you are smart about the use of your time. By setting your goal, you can focus your attention and action towards making the most of every fitness session.
Fitness Tips
Got no time to go to the gym on a regular basis because of a busy work schedule? No worries – these are the tips you need to maintain your fitness and work balance:
Make use of your lunchtime break
This is the most common tip that busy people adopt when it comes to squeezing in a workout despite a busy schedule. You can have your lunch before or after your workout. Either way, squeeze in at least 30 minutes of workout during your break. This will make you feel energised and refreshed when you get back to work!
You can diversify your lunch workout, too. Don’t just spend it at the gym. Vary it up by walking up and down the stairs, jogging in the garden, or engaging in any other physical activities.
Incorporate a few desk exercises into your day
Yes, it is still possible to do some light exercises even without leaving your desk. When people think of a “workout”, they often think of it as pumping iron in the gym. But light stretches and exercises will do as well.
For example, you can do light stretches on your desk. You can also do push-ups, lunges, or squats. These activities do not require any weights or equipment. You can also perform these exercises even with limited space.
Connect with a fitness-minded friend or co-worker
When you are trying to build a fitness routine, you might need extra motivation to ensure that you follow your action plan. Find someone who is equally passionate about your goal of boosting your fitness level.
A workout buddy to hold you accountable will also keep you motivated. It reduces the chances of you skipping a workout. You can even start a workout and wellness tradition in your workplace.
The world is your gym!
If you find monthly gym memberships too expensive, or if you cannot find a good gym in your area, try other forms of workout. Keeping up with your fitness does not mean that you have to work out in a fitness facility.
You can try other forms of exercise, such as jogging in the park, biking, or going for a hike. Join your local Parkrun and keep accountable by joining others to complete it as a run or walk every Saturday morning. Doing a variety of physical activities that challenge you and lets you have fun at the same time is the best way to stay fit! Vigorous cleaning can be as good as a gym workout as well, so you could have a super-clean house as a fitness bonus!
You’re going to look fit and healthy in no time.
Sign up for a fitness class
Joining a fitness class is a fun way to get your body moving on a regular basis. It is also a great way to meet new people and do something together. There are a number of fitness classes that you can participate in such as yoga classes, Zumba fitness classes, or dancing classes. These are interactive and let you do things that you enjoy, together with other people who share your passion.
Focus on HIIT workout when you have limited time available
New research shows that you don’t need to exercise for long at all to improve your cardiovascular health. Short thirty second bursts of high intensity interval training, or HIIT, two or three times a week are enough to get you back in shape. One of the best ways to do this is on an exercise bike – just go all out for 2 or 3 HIIT bursts, with recovery time in between. HIIT has been shown to help your overall health, heart, metabolism and brain power.
Make healthy lifestyle changes
Working out is not the only way for you to achieve work-fitness balance. It is important to consider dietary and lifestyle changes, too. One way to do this is to build a healthy meal plan. Avoid skipping meals; instead, choose to eat healthy food items as scheduled. It is also important to get enough sleep and drink plenty of water.
Do more in one sitting
Multi-tasking is another technique that you can use to squeeze the most out of your busy work schedule. For example, if you are watching your favorite TV show at home, you can get off the couch and perform squats or other exercises. When you are headed for work, you can take the stairs instead of using the elevator. Or, when you receive a phone call, you can get away from your desk and walk around for a bit.
Round-Up
Spending several hours a day for five to six days a week is not necessary (for the general population). You need to be smart about what type of exercises you perform for the time that you have. You can easily find workout ideas that you can adapt according to how much time you have, whether it is 30 minutes or 2 hours. The goal is to ensure that you make the most of whatever time you have available and to diversify your workout so you always push your body.
How do you maintain a balance between fitness and your work? What other tips can you add to the list above?