5 Ways to Find Time for Exercise
We all know that exercise is important –vital, in fact. Yet, one of the most common excuses for not exercising enoughis “I can’t find time for exercise.”
And it’s true. It is hard to find time forexercise. Just like it’s hard to find time to meditate, cook healthy meals, andvolunteer to make your community a better place.
The American College of Sports Medicine(ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) provides the following minimumexercise guidelines for healthy adults (18-65):
Moderate-intensityaerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days per week (e.g.a brisk walk) or;
Vigorous-intensityaerobic physical activity for 20 minutes, three days per week (e.g. jogging)or;
Some combination of moderate-intensity andvigorous-intensity
NOTE: Exercise can be performed in bouts ofat least 10 minutes.
That’s not bad. In fact, it’s prettyachievable. So let’s move on to the challenging (but fun) part: Finding timefor exercise.
1.Turn off the TV
This is usually a good place to start. In2010, the average American watched 34 hours of TV per week. If you do the math,you could still watch 30 hours of TV and get all your exercise in (including ashower afterwards, which is typically appreciated by your colleagues/familymembers).
And if you’ve already whittled your TVwatching down to just one or two favorite shows per week, consider exercisingwhile you watch.
If you’d like to remove TV completely fromyour life and go crazy with exercise, check out this step-by-step article onthe topic.
2.Limit Your Time Online
If we’re not watching TV, we’re surfing theInternet, checking email, updating Facebook, tweeting, or pinning. According tocomScore, the average American spent 32 hours per month online in 2010 (soundslow to me!).
That’s over 60 minutes per day, some ofwhich could be devoted to moving your body rather than letting it waste away infront of a screen.
Becoming more efficient with your onlinedealings is a great way to cut down on the time spent online. Lifehack ManagingEditor Mike Vardy recently wrote a great article about the real problem withemail. It’s not about the technology. It’s about improper use of thetechnology. You will be amazed by the amount of time you will save if you checkyour email only once or twice per day.
3.Ask for Help
I don’t want to assume that you are a couchpotato or an Internet addict. Perhaps you simply have your hands full withwork, laundry, kids, community commitments, and all the other things that makeup our plate of life.
If you are serious about finding time forexercise, ask for help. Maybe you just need somebody to watch the kids for anhour while you hit the gym. Ask your spouse, your mom, your friend, theteenager next door – anybody who can help you find that time. Also, if you havethe money, hire somebody to clean your house. That frees up significant time(at least if you’re a clean freak like me).
4.Find Pockets of Time for Exercise
If your eyes didn’t completely gloss overwhen you read the ACSM/AHA recommendations above, you may have noticed that youcan exercise in “bouts of at least 10 minutes.”
This means that you could go for a brisk10-minute walk after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only will you feelrefreshed, but it also helps with digestion!
I often find myself with 10 minutes tospare, so I have a mental list of things that can be completed in that amountof time. If you have your own 10-minute activity list, just add exercise to it.
In many parts of the world, this is anobvious one. However, sometimes it’s easy to forget that getting from Point Ato Point B can be a wonderful opportunity to exercise. Here are some options:
Bike or walk to work/school
Bike to the grocery store
Walk over to a friend’s house
Walk to your place of worship
Walk or bike to the coffee shop
As long as it’s at least 10 minutes andgetting your heart rate up, it’s exercise!
How do you find time for exercise?
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