You are busy. Your life is chock full of things that require your time and energy. Me? I’ve got a full-time job and two part-time jobs, volunteer work, two blogs, family commitments, and more. And I don’t even have kids or a spouse to add to that list, as you might! It can be very hard to find time to squeeze in a workout when life is so busy.
Over the past few months, I’ve had a bunch of people ask me about how they can find time to work out. They’ve told me about their crazy schedules, struggling to meet the needs of their families and their careers. How tired they are. How there just isn’t enough time in the day to work out.
Except there is.
We’ve been led to believe by shows like The Biggest Loser that exercise requires hours of your time every day. You have to commit to at least an hour-long, super-intense DVD. To multiple miles or several exercise classes a week. You haven’t really worked out until you’re dripping with sweat, crying, maybe even puking. How can you expect results if you don’t push yourself to the limit, every day? And who has time for that?!
Time for a real reality check (as opposed to a reality TV check): Any form of movement that you can fit into your day is enough. You don’t have to do the entire DVD. You don’t have to spend two hours on the treadmill. (Unless you want to. That’s totally your prerogative, and I envy your free time.)
Instead of giving up completely on the idea of exercise, do what you can, when you can. Don’t have time for a three-mile walk? How about a ten-minute walk around the neighborhood with the kids after dinner? Have a few minutes where you’re catching up on the news in front of the television before bed? Grab some hand weights and do some bicep curls. Try some calf raises while you’re cooking dinner. Park farther away. Take the stairs.
Exercise to improve your health doesn’t have to be endless and punishing. In fact, if it is, you’re way less likely to stick with it. The trick is to get movement in when you can, in a way that you enjoy.
In Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred (a DVD which I generally like) she says, “‘Just take the stairs’ is a false message of lethargy.” Wrong! For some people, taking the stairs is the most they can manage – because of time, because of energy, because of physical limitations. It’s that kind of message, from a “fitness professional” as famous as Jillian, that perpetuates the myth that you’re not doing enough, not doing it long enough, and not trying hard enough.
Only you can decide if you’re doing enough. Maybe you don’t feel like working out at all. That’s fine. Maybe you are ready to train for a marathon. That’s fine, too. Don’t let society and the media, or Jillian or that guy from P90X or any of your friends, dictate your health decisions. Decide what’s right for you.
And if you’re ready to incorporate more movement into your life, feel free – in fact, I encourage you – to start small. Stay small for as long as you feel like it (even forever). Move your body in a way that makes you happy and that fits your life. That’s how to make you your own version of a big fit deal – which is the only version you should be!
