Fitting your workout in a short amount of time while trying to juggle life can be a challenge for many adults each day. While most workouts only need to be roughly 30 minutes or so, the process of getting to the gym or preparing for exercise can be tedious.
If you are like many adults with this same experience, consider the information ahead on how to train smarter if you’re always short on time.
Busy Schedules, What to Do?
Sometimes it can be hard to schedule a workout when your schedule is already jam-packed. When you have a busy schedule each day, finding the time to fit your workout in can not only do wonders for your body, but it can help to alleviate mental stress as well. Try out these tips ahead to schedule your workouts around your busy calendar.
- Schedule your fitness. Just like a work meeting, make your fitness routine a scheduled task. That way if something comes up, you already have it blocked out and ready. This is a way to prioritize your workouts and can work wonders throughout the week.
- Workout first thing in the morning. Why first thing in the morning? This is guaranteed to be the only time of the day when additional tasks have piled on.
- Finish off the day with your workout. In contrast to working out at the beginning of the day, exercise to finish your day can help to reduce your mental stress and help to free your mind after a long day at the office. This type of scheduling works well so long as you can eliminate distractions that have accumulated throughout the day.
What is Motivation?
Perhaps one of the biggest things needed to help finish your workout when you’re strapped on time is motivation. When time is running thin and 30 minutes doesn’t seem like it’s enough, sometimes a little motivation can help to push you past that moment. Motivation is everything in exercise; it helps to set your mindset into hitting the gym to help further the health of your body and your fitness even more.
When motivation is lacking, finding additional ways to fit your exercise in when you’re short on time may be necessary. Consider the following five hacks ahead to help push you through your workout every single day.
The Top 5 Hacks to Train Smarter If You’re Always Short on Time
Sometimes when you’re short on time, all you need is to be a little smarter or creative in order to get to your workout. Consider the following 5 hacks ahead for your busy lifestyle.
- Prioritize Your Training. In addition to adding your workouts to your calendar, consider adding a priority list of goals you want to accomplish. Sometimes having a list of goals can help you to prioritize what is most important and help you to stay on track when your time is lacking. Prioritize the most important goals first in your workout and go down the order to ensure you’re at least working on your gains.
- Put Your Phone Away. Perhaps the biggest distraction is your phone. While most people have a phone on them to listen to music, sending off a quick text or email can really add up. Not only does it send your mindset to another thought that may not be fitness related, but your eyes catch attention elsewhere and it can quickly take up valuable time that could have been used in your training. Consider putting your phone in the gym locker or keep it stashed for good in a pocket to save precious time.
- Write Down Your Workout. Writing down your workout helps to organize the exercises you will do when you do hit the gym. This can be a definite time saving mechanism, as it eliminates looking up activities to do and can help you to visualize your activity as well. Coming to the gym prepared can help to create the focus needed to get you on your way when time is short.
- Utilize Supersets. Supersets may be a great solution for anyone who is always short on time. This type of training involves no rest periods and opposing muscle groups. Want to speed up a 30 minute workout that includes 6-8 exercises? During your usual rest periods perform the opposing exercise to make this happen. The time saved is definitely worth it and can make it feel like you did a lot in a short amount of time.
- Try High-intensity Interval Training. Perhaps the best solution for a wide population is to look to high-intensity interval training. Known as HIIT, adults who are short on time should utilize this type of training to cut down on time, work many parts of the body, and move on with the day. It’s as simple as that, or is it? This type of training can help with the following:
- HIIT can support motivation for a regular fitness routine.
- HIIT can have a positive effect on body composition through the shredding of fat mass during activity.
- HIIT can easily save your time in the gym and can fit many exercises together in a small amount of time. Many HIIT workouts are designed to be fast, 20-25 minutes long, so this could be a great option if you’re always short on time.
Is There a Better Time of Day to Exercise?
While there may not be one specific time of day in which your exercise is best, the time of day can have an effect on how successful you may be. Early in the day is great for people with busy schedules and it helps to cut out tasks that pile on. Later in the day can be excellent for clearing the mind after a tough day at work, home, or when it’s simply busy.
But when neither of these options work for you, consider trying your workout during the day to be efficient. Utilize HIIT training, work lunch breaks, or time when kids are at school as your time to get your quick workout in. Once you finish, you’ll feel amazing.
Conclusion
Finding ways to train smarter if you’re always short on time can help to organize your workouts and help you to meet your goals. The information above provides practical tips for anyone who needs help programming a workout despite not having any time to do so.
Resources
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36175907
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10054577
image sources
- Stairs running: Maksim Goncharenok on Pexels
