Freedom Friday: Fitness in the Fast Lane. How to Drive a Few Minutes into Your Busy Work Day

Freedom Friday: Fitness in the Fast Lane. How to Drive a Few Minutes into Your Busy Work Day.

Let’s face it. We all have the same 24 hours within a day, but we feel like we need more time. It’s not a matter of needing more time, it’s a matter of how do we use the time in which we have especially when it comes to our health and fitness.

Here’s are 10 ways in which you can become active and work some fitness into your busy work day.

1. Stop hitting the snooze button.

Try going to bed 30 minutes to an hour earlier. DVR some of your favorite shows and watch them over the weekend. Getting enough sleep is vital to our health and aids in weight loss. Not getting enough can aid in weight gain too. That 30 mins while lying in bed not wanting to get up can better be utilized doing an efficient workout. Use your time wisely.

2. Create a workout schedule and stick to it.

Write the vision and make it plain. Schedule your workouts just like you schedule your work meetings. You rarely cancel a meeting, so don’t cancel on you. You’re just as important as anything else on your to do list, so act like it. Checking the days off you’ve completed your workouts sends a visual as well as a feeling of accomplishment. Stick with your plan.

3. Find an exercise or activity you enjoy.

What the mind thinks, the body will follow. If you don’t like a certain workout, sport, exercise or activity, your body will know it and it’s a waste of your time. Like to dance…do zumba. Enjoy nature…go for a walk or a run. Want a high intensity workout with variations…try a boot camp or circuit training. There are too many fitness activities available where you can’t find something it is that you like to do. Life is too short not to have fun.

4. Workout efficiently.

You don’t have to live in the gym for 2 hours to get an efficient workout in. Most people don’t have that kind of time. That’s the whole purpose of this article. Use your time wisely. Try to get in 30 mins of cardio and 30 mins of strength training on the days you workout if possible. High intensity workouts, Tabata, running and strength training burns calories and fat in a short amount of time. Strength training 24 hours after your session. Less is more.

5. Have a gym bag ready on standby.

Having a gym bag in the car ready and packed gives you no excuse not to go workout during lunch or after work if you already have it with you. No excuses. None whatsoever.

6. Meal prep ahead of time.

If you already have your breakfast, lunch and dinner prepared, you will have time to go workout in the morning, during lunch or after work. No need to stop by McDonald’s or Starbucks for breakfast, go to the work cafeteria or out for lunch, stop by the grocery store after work or cook when you get home because everything has already been prepared. Meal prepping saves time, money, unwanted calories, extra days and time in the gym. Work smart and not hard.

7. Park further away from the door.

What’s a few extra steps walking into work unless you’re running late. If that’s the case, then run lol! Your fit bit will thank you. Aim for at least 7-10,000 steps a day which is equivalent to 3-5 miles per day. Park far and get your walk on.

8. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

Unless you work on the 19th floor of a 19 story building, take the steps sometimes instead of the elevator. It’s a total body fitness workout that helps build strength, endurance and works the heart through cardio and your body resistance. Step up your fitness game.

9. Use your lunch and breaks to workout.

Have a 60 minute lunch break? Use 30 minutes of it to workout and the other 30 minutes to eat. This only works if you brought your lunch to work, have someone bring you lunch back, or have a speedy cafeteria which is unheard of. But you’re supposed to be meal prepping right?

On your breaks, do chair exercises at your desk. Walk around the building or outside. If your job has a workout facility, get 15 mins on the treadmill or elliptical. Sometimes you have to walk away for sanity sake as well as to clear your mind to seek out a solution to a work related issue. Exercise can clear your mind.

10. Move something vs. Move nothing.

Getting something in even if it’s just for 10 minutes a day is better than nothing. The idea is to keep it moving. Everyday won’t be as hectic as the day before. Some days you will be able to get your 30 minutes to an hour in. Other days it might only be 15 minutes or nothing at all. As long as you are trying to get in at least 150 minutes a week, however you may have to split those minutes up, make sure you’re getting it in and working out efficiently. Your workout calendar should help keep you on track as well as you being accountable to yourself.

Remember you run your day, don’t let your day run you. Happy Friday!