To succeed in reaching your fitness goals, effective time-management is essential.
Most people have to juggle their fitness goals with their family commitments and career demands among other things. Sometimes when life gets in the way, it can be a real task to find the time during your daily hustle to get that all-important workout in.
Here are five ways to balance your commitment to working out with the rest of life’s responsibilities:– Flexible Training – Learning to train intuitively can help you find work/life balance, and prevent injury and over exerting yourself. Being able to “go with the flow” and alter your schedule when needed, will keep you from getting stressed out when unexpected events interfere with your workout plans. Whether you’ve suddenly come down with a cold, or have to travel unexpectedly, you can save yourself some anxiety by simply altering your exercise schedule to meet your needs.
– Create time – Don’t start planning your workout schedule until you’ve figured out exactly how much time you can devote to your workouts each week. One of the biggest obstacles with exercising in general seems to be a lack of time. Before you even begin a regimen, calculate how many hours you can spare each week, and schedule these times and days accordingly. Don’t wing it; use a calendar! Tip: The average American spends 15 hours per week watching TV This is an easy category to “borrow” time from.
– Prioritize – Decide what’s most important, and complete that task first. Determine what your weaknesses are, and which workouts are most crucial. If your strength is swimming and you find yourself with limited hours in a given week, skip going to the pool and opt for a run or bike ride instead. Also, commit to your long workout sessions and avoid missing them. These are necessary in order to build endurance over time, and are irreplaceable.
– Rest and recovery – Without proper sleep, nutrition and down-time, your body can’t recuperate from hard workout sessions, and you increase the risk of getting sick and/or injured. Listen to your body, and try to give yourself at least one day of “rest” per week.
– Be realistic – Don’t take on more than you can handle. You will set yourself up for failure, and likely end up forgoing the entire plan. Start with an easily attainable goal, and build from there. With each success, you will gain the confidence and knowledge to take your fitness to the next level.
With thoughtfulness, diligence, and determination, you can figure out how to make time attain your fitness goals, all the while balancing the needs of your loved ones, career and other goals.
Wishing you health and happiness,
HLJ
Holly Lowe Jones is a media professional, certified fitness and nutrition expert, and personal trainer (ISSA). A member of the National Association for Health and Fitness, Jones is also a seasoned triathlete who competes in her spare time.
For more information, please visit her website www.hollylowejones.com.
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