December is a crazy month. So how do you work in a workout when you’re slammed for time??
1. Make time.
You need to prioritize your fitness if you are ever going to keep it up through the zany holiday season. Schedule your workout time. Then do it.
If you have a family calendar, write in the time you need on the days you select to work out. Then do it. Don’t let the “oh, I need to do x, y, or z” come before your workouts. There will always be a reason to procrastinate. Don’t let yourself get away with it: stay organized, stay focused, and keep yourself in the fitness game.
2. Find time.
There are so many ways to eek out a little more time in the day. It’s crazy, yes, but it’s good to know that if you determine you don’t have time to get fit, you are likely truly saying you haven’t made fitness a priority.
You can get up earlier. You can walk instead of drive. You can exercise instead of sit on the couch. You can do some strengthening or stretching exercises while you zone out at the end of your day. There is always time!
For me, this has meant I have set my alarm for 3:30 to work out before leading bootcamp at 6 in the morning. It has meant I ate dinner late at night after I worked out. It has meant changing clothes at the office and going for a jog before heading home. It has meant that I know when I say “I don’t have time” I really mean “I don’t want to make the time today.” Big difference, isn’t there?
3. Squeeze the workout in.
Maybe December isn’t the month for 90 minute workouts. Maybe December isn’t the month for two hour trips to the gym. Maybe finding the amount of time you’re used to spending working out isn’t working… so you need other ways to squeeze quality workouts into limited time.
So, instead of spending 60 minutes at an easy cardio pace, spend 30 or 40 minutes at a more intense pace. Add intervals or hills into your regular routine and shorten the length of the workout.
Instead of lifting a medium weight for 15 reps, lift a heavier weight for 10 reps. Instead of doing a full body weight workout and 30 minutes on the treadmill, do 10 minutes at a quick pace, an upper body workout for 15 or 20 minutes and finish with 10 minutes on the treadmill at that same or even quicker pace.
There are all kinds of ways to mix it up and fit in a workout no matter how limited your time is. You just have to want it, plan and be creative.
