Effectively Managing Time to Get in Your Workouts

Time. Time is the biggest factor when it comes to not working out. We are all busy with work, families, social events and life in general. It is hard to fit in time to workout and healthy behaviors, in general, with all of life's other commitments. However, trying to eliminate something that is already a regular in our lives and trying to replace it with exercise. Along with focusing on our health, everything else in our lives is important, too. So, here is a little bit of help with things to cut out/reduce time spent on to fit in more time for exercise and health focused time. 

• Pick a Day to Meal Prep
• Getting food prepped for most of your week can save hours during the week that would give you extra time to fit in a workout. Not having to worry about cooking dinner every night or making food for lunches, will provide a lot of extra time in the evenings. 
• Schedule Your Workouts
• Just like a meeting at work, kids soccer practice or a social event would be put on your calendar, so the same for your workouts. It is an appointment or meeting for yourself and having it on your schedule will help hold you accountable. 
• Avoid the Gym at Prime Time
• A crowded gym makes it difficult to get through your workout quickly. Having to wait for equipment or machines takes up time and add on to the amount of time you are there. So, go at an off time to eliminate the crowds and waiting time. 
• Cut Down on TV and Social Media
• Honestly, you probably spend more time in front of the TV or scrolling through your phone than you might think or want to admit. If you added up the total amount of time you spent each day on screen time, it would probably end up being more than enough time to squeeze in a workout. 
• It's OK to Say No
• This may be the toughest one for people. Saying no to social events or work obligations or more extra curricular activities can be a very tough thing for people. We always want be involved with so many things, but sometimes, that can be harmful to our health. We need time for rest, time for exercise and time for social events. So before saying yes to something, take some extra time to think about if it is really worth it or if you would rather have the extra time to fit in some exercise or down time.