8 Ways to Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule

If there is one thing every health expert recommends, it’s exercise.

Doing regular exercise can do wonders for your health; fighting off problems such as high blood pressure and heart disease. Not just that, but it can be the missing ingredient in bad sleeping habits, a great mood-lifter and de-stressor.

It is recommended that an adult should get a minimum of at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week, or 75 minutes of rigorous exercise. Put simply, to stay on top of our health we should be dedicating just over 20 minutes a day to exercise.

Unfortunately, a lot of adults find it difficult to inject regular exercise into their daily routines. These days, we are working much more than ever before, and a lot of people just can’t find the time to exercise on top of that.

Luckily, there are ways for you to incorporate exercise into your day, without having to allocate one block of time to it at the end of your day. Here are 8 ways to integrate exercise into your daily routine.

1. Get up, get moving!

Mornings can be a slow time for everybody. But it’s also an optimum time to fit exercise into busy schedules with a bit of movement before you properly start your day.

Before your normal routine begins, try doing some warm-up stretches and minor toning exercises, such as sit-ups, lunges or push-ups. It’ll add a few minutes extra on to your routine, but it’ll get you ready for the day ahead.

2. Change how you travel

We know how convenient it is to hop on a bus or a train, or sit on a vehicle that does all the work for us. But the journey to work can be a lot more fulfilling than that.

If you have enough time and it’s safe to do so, why not try walking instead? You can also ride a bicycle, or even turn your journey into a jogging route. Those are easy ways to make your busy schedule workout plan.

If you can’t do these things, then try opting for the stairs instead of the elevator, or parking a further distance from your destination to increase activity.

3. Work out while you work

Just because you are at a desk, or behind a counter, doesn’t mean you can’t use this time to be active. There are lots of exercises you can do at your standing desks with benefits for your health. 

Try lifting some light hand weights whilst working, or practice upper body stretches in between calls. Whether seated or standing, you can try using smart furniture such as Autonomous' Flow Board – which creates all over muscular micro movements for your body as you go about your tasks.

4. Utilize your breaks

We all long for our lunch hour, especially when we are hungry or low on energy.

But this time is not just for stocking up on fuel – it can also be used to burn it.

Why not try going for a run nearby to the office, or finding a gym that you can access at your convenience?  Even just running errands or going on a walk during this time is a good way to keep yourself busy and burning calories.

5. Talk to your colleagues

Physical interaction might seem like a thing of the past these days, with there being an app or email for every situation. However, talking to each other in person is actually a great excuse to keep yourself moving.

Whenever you get a chance, get up and walk over to one of your coworkers instead of messaging them. Start a conversation with someone outside of just a friendly email, so that you have a reason to be up and moving around, away from your desk.

6. Workout at home

Just because you’re not out running the streets, or working up a sweat at the gym, doesn’t mean you can’t stay active as you carry out tasks at home.

Cleaning the house is great for clearing the mind, and it’s also a good way to fit exercise into a busy schedule. Play some music as you cook dinner so that you can dance at the same time, wash the car by hand rather than taking it to be serviced, fold and organize the contents of your wardrobe, or even have a move around of household objects and practice some lifting exercises at the same time.

7. Don’t be a couch potato!

Watching TV is a pastime a lot of us save for the end of the day, but it’s possible to indulge in some bingeing and keep active whilst doing it.

Try setting up a yoga mat and doing some yoga stretches as you watch your favorite TV series, or invest in a treadmill or cycle machine so you can work-out at the same time.

8. Explore other social activities

We all love to catch up with friends over a nice meal and some drinks. But there are a million things we can do with our friends other than that.

Instead of suggesting the same restaurant or bar, why not propose something active; like a social sport such as tennis or badminton, or joining a gym or yoga class together. Failing that, why not go for a hike, or a relaxing walk around the city?

Conclusion

Not everybody has a specific amount of time that they can dedicate each day to exercise, but these examples show that it’s easy to incorporate exercise into your daily routine! So give it a try! Simply fit these small adjustments into your day, and stay on top of your own fitness!

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