In my fitness consulting business, I get the opportunity to talk with people from all walks of life about their health, fitness, and weight loss goals. Whether their goal is to lose weight, gain muscle, stick to a diet plan or program, improve their cardiovascular health, or simply to maintain their current fitness level they all have one common enemy---TIME.
For most of us, the #1 challenge in the quest to stay in shape and/or lose weight is not exercising itself but being able to actually fit an exercise program into our busy schedules.
So how do you do it? How do you balance the demands of family, career, important errands, relationships, organizational responsibilities, and working out? I have found that there are five keys that will help you to be able to fit a consistent workout plan into your already hectic life.
When you fail to plan you plan to fail. Don't try to haphazardly fit your workouts into your schedule without any rhyme or reason. Don't think you're guilty? If you've ever told yourself "I'll workout as soon as I get some time", you were in direct violation of this key principle.
In order to set yourself up for success, you will need to take the time to literally write your workouts into your weekly schedule. In order to be effective, you will want to be following your exercise program at least 3 days per week. Anything less would be kidding yourself.
Therefore, right in the midst of all of your appointments, "to-do" lists, etc., should be a written plan for your weekly workout routine, so that you will never be in the dark as to when you committed to yourself to go.
Take advantage of the fact that it only takes 3-5 days per week to put together an effective, results-producing workout. One trick to help you pull it all off is to workout on the weekends. One of the benefits to this course of action is that your schedule is more flexible and under your control during this time.
What is also means is that when the hectic weekdays roll back around, you will only be responsible for working out 1-3 days during the work week.
One of the biggest mistakes that even many people who have scheduled a workout program into their schedule make is allowing it to be bumped off of their schedule to easily.
Although things will occassionally come up that will cause you to have to reschedule the workout you had planned, you must be vigilant in making sure that only the most important emergencies are allowed to temporarily take you off of your plan.
In the event that one of those important emergencies does happen and you can't make it to your workout, reschedule with yourself to make it up on the next possible day that you are available to do so. If your own health, fitness, and efforts to lose weight are not a priority to you, they certainly won't be so to anyone else.
Don't go at this alone. Let the important people in your life know what you are up to. Your spouse or love interest, parents, children, co-workers, and close friends will often pitch in and help you to meet your fitness or weight loss commitment to yourself if you make them aware and ask for their support.
Leverage these relationships to delegate some of your normal responsibilities or even allow you to shift appointments that you have with them as you restructure your schedule for your workout. If any of them are into exercise or trying to lose weight themselves, don't hesitate to form a buddy system with them as you move forward with your program.
No matter who you are, there will be times in your workout program that you just aren't able to keep it up as you would like due to outside demands. Don't be too tough on yourself when that happens.
Remember that it is what you do consistently over a long period of time, not what you do in spurts, that truly counts. Just make sure that you get back on the horse full force as soon as you can and continue to press forward, doing your best to avoid slacking off again.
No matter what goals you have for health, fitness, or weight loss, you CAN fit an effective exercise program into that hectic schedule of yours and be amazingly successful at getting the exact results that you want!
Your Lifestyle and Fitness Coach,
Lawrence Cole
yourbestbodynow.com
Lawrence Cole is a Lifestyle and Fitness Consultant based out of Pasadena, CA. He has over 10 years of health and fitness experience and designing simple, effective nutritional strategies to help individuals achieve their personal best internal health and physical conditioning.
premium house cleaning Highland Park ..The humble soybean boasts some extraordinary benefits. This nutritional powerhouse... Read More
Cellulite - Reduce The Appearance --------------------------------- Sallie Elizabeth has always... Read More
Ever thought of, known someone, or gone on a diet?... Read More
1. Increase your water intake to at least 1 gallon... Read More
Nice girls don't speak up. Nice girls take care of... Read More
To upgrade the current software in your brain you can... Read More
Gastric bypass surgery has many forms and can involve stapling... Read More
Calorie burn can be really enhanced if you follow a... Read More
In the early nineties I had the opportunity to work... Read More
Learning the jargon is part of the weight loss journey.... Read More
Must We Gain Weight Every WinterIt's that time of year... Read More
Diet pills have met with many different fates, and come... Read More
Considering the US Center for Disease Control's advice is a... Read More
It is very tempting to try that fad diet that... Read More
There are many diets, all of which boil down to... Read More
Food Cravings: How to Practice PatienceDuring holidays and parties you... Read More
That's a pretty "in your face" statement, but really it's... Read More
If you are a fan of horse racing, you are... Read More
I would like to introduce you to an incredible new... Read More
For years the experts have been telling us that diets... Read More
Weight loss is a hot topic among people today, especially... Read More
Have I become invisible or are people just aiming right... Read More
From the book Spider's Big CatchLike many people, I've decided... Read More
The latest trend in the area of weight loss is... Read More
Are you trying to lose weight?If you are, STOP!Funny thing... Read More
bedroom cleaning professionals Mundelein ..With the growing epidemic of diabetes and obesity in our... Read More
According to the American Obesity Association, an astounding 64.5 percent... Read More
This is a very important topic that needs to be... Read More
The average American eats about twice as much protein than... Read More
Many people want to lose a few of those annoying... Read More
Now I know you're always asking yourself questions.You know the... Read More
Are you unhappy with your current weight but aren't "motivated"... Read More
One of the biggest scams ever successfully pulled on the... Read More
The most recent shocking news related to Atkins diet UK... Read More
I remember back in my senior year of high school... Read More
If you are fighting the battle of the bulge (overweight... Read More
Are you just exploding with the presence of light all... Read More
Weight loss information is often confusing and misleading. The more... Read More
When most people begin a Weight Loss program or diet... Read More
Have you ever experienced this scenario before?"I have successfully lost... Read More
(Ailsa's Apple Crumble Diet)I'm Scottish, so it's not a big... Read More
One of the biggest misconceptions about exercise is that there... Read More
I personal lost 60 pounds in 2003. Here are some... Read More
Have you ever wondered where destiny would lead you? Have... Read More
WHAT DOES BEING FIT REALLY MEAN?The "INSIDE-OUT" approach to fitness... Read More
Welcome to lesson #2. First of all, I believe that... Read More
If you have a protruding abdomen, loose skin as a... Read More
You don't realize it, but in the next few minutes... Read More
If all we have to do is exercise to live... Read More
Thankfully, winter does not last forever! In the spring there... Read More
Weight Loss |