Everyone knows that exercise is important. Your health depends on you exercising on a regular basis. Unfortunately, if you lead a busy lifestyle, squeezing in 30 minutes of exercise isn’t always easy. The good news is, there are plenty of tools to help you get the exercise you need and keep you motivated enough to exercise on a regular basis.
Look For Fun Equipment to Make Workouts Fun
If you find weights boring, chances are you will always find workout time to be a struggle to schedule. On the other hand, if you love the activity then your workouts will be something you can't wait to do. This could involve focusing on a sport like hockey or soccer but there are much easier answers too. For instance, roller skating is the equivalent of jogging in terms of strength building and cardio health benefits and even caloric consumption! Luckily, it's also a sport that's pretty easy to get into since equipment costs are minimal and it's a fun way to exercise on the go. You can even purchase roller skate adapters for your shoes so there's less stuff to pack. These can be used on paved hiking trails, in the parking lot of your work, or even on the sidewalk, making it easy for you to exercise whenever you have a few minutes free. Consider keeping them in the trunk of your car.
San Diego-based Cardiff Skate company makes some great high-performance roller skates that also travel well — eliminating any excuses you tell yourself to avoid exercise. When you have a few minutes free, simply strap the roller skates to the bottom of your shoes and skate the excess calories away.
Find a Friend Who Loves the Same Workout Style You Do
Having a friend to keep you motivated, help you spot, or simply to skate, bike, or walk with you and share the experiences will make exercise easier and more fun.
Use a Smart Watch To Set Fitness Goals and Monitor Progress
Smartwatches and fitness trackers help you stay motivated and encourage you to get moving throughout the day. In fact, they’ve become a gym necessity for many people because they not only keep track of their movement throughout the day but they also typically work with an app that helps the user track their calorie and water intake for the day.
When choosing a smartwatch or fitness tracker, you should consider your needs. If you want an all-in-one device that lets you track your messages and calls and houses your favorite music playlists, a smartwatch might be a good option for you. However, if you simply need a device to help you track your daily steps, exercise, and food intake, a fitness tracker might be a better option. You can also find fitness trackers that track your sleep patterns at night, which can help you determine if your quality of sleep is impacting the way you feel and the amount of energy you have on a daily basis.
Use Fitness Apps to Make Exercise Social
If you’re really short on time, consider downloading a workout and exercise app. There are plenty of free versions available, and you can even find workout apps that focus on workouts you can do in a pre-set amount of minutes. For example, you can download an app that focuses on 5-minute workouts and use it several times throughout the day. The workouts are typically exercises that can be done anywhere — you don’t need additional gear or tools to complete them. Also, these type of apps encourage you to exercise for a few minutes regardless of what you’re currently doing. So, don’t be surprised to discover that the perfect time for you to do squats for five minutes aligns with your regular weekly conference call with your favorite client — after all, as long as it’s not a video call, there’s no reason you can’t multitask.
Always Be Prepared to Get Gym Time In - Even While Traveling
It’s common for people to hate the thought of going to the gym, but once they get there and start working out, they actually like it. Don’t makes excuses to skip your lunchtime or after-work workout session. Keep a gym bag in your car that includes a change of clothes, water bottle, MP3 player, and your pre-workout drink. When you’re always prepared to hit the gym, it’s a lot harder to think of a reason to skip it. So what if you woke up late and missed your morning workout, you can hit the gym at lunch or after work. When you have your workout gear with you at all times, you can stop at the gym anytime you have 30 minutes to spare.
Exercise is important to your health. Don’t let your busy schedule keep you from being active and focusing on your overall health. Instead, prepare yourself so you have what you need to squeeze your workout in whenever you find you have a bit of extra time during the day. Your body will thank you for it later.