Fit exercise into a busy life
People who do shorter training sessions are more likely to keep it up than those doing longer sessions. So if you only have 20min, go for a short jog! Something is better than nothing.
Encourage a friend to join you when you exercise. This means that instead of having to make time to catch up with them AND exercise you can do the two at the same time. If there’s a group of you all the better.
Having a partner to train with makes it easier to commit. To be able to tell someone who wants more of your time that you have to head off as you are meeting someone makes them more likely to accept it. It makes you more willing to put your foot down and keep discipline with yourself too. Too often it is exercise that suffers when the schedule gets tight even when this is not what you’d want.
Even if you are not meeting someone having a person to share your training experiences with helps you to stay motivated and disciplined. Their encouragement and support can also help you to take a stand against those making excessive demands on your time.
We have all been there. A vague but sincere agreement to meet a friend for coffee as soon as possible never happens. Write it in for 1pm on Wednesday and it happens – even if it is rescheduled.
Be the same with your exercise. You are going to the gym at 6pm on Wednesday and for a 25min run at 8am on Saturday. Write it in the diary. Be specific about what you are going to do too. An idea you should do ‘something’ today is likely to be missed. Knowing what you have to do will give more focus. Train SMART!
If running regularly, check out our sessions for those hard-pushed for time. They won't just maintain, but they'll improve your fitness!
A training schedule will give you focus. It is also another way of making you more confident when telling other people your commitments. Which is bolder? ‘I wanted to do some exercise today’ or ‘My schedule says I have a 30min easy run to do today’?
Check out our training guides for 5k and 10k or sign up to our coaching programme for a your bespoke programme.