“I don’t have time,” as an excuse for avoiding unpleasant duties, is one of my favorites. What about dinner with the mother-in-law? There’s no time! A trip to the laundromat? With this schedule, are you kidding me? What’s fantastic about it is that no one can respectfully question how busy you are, and is there a better excuse for not exercising out there?
Not according to those who say a lack of time is one of the reasons they don’t exercise. Is it true that we don’t have enough time, or is it merely an excuse?
What Is an Appropriate Amount?
Starting a fitness regimen requires rearranging your schedule to make room for it, but it doesn’t take long. Researchers have discovered that brief bursts of exercise can be just as helpful for weight loss and health as longer workouts and that many people find shorter workouts easier to stick to. Researchers contrasted two groups of exercisers in one study: those who conducted short bouts of exercise (several 10-minute workouts) and those who completed long bouts of exercise (20 to 40 minutes of continuous exercise). Here’s what they discovered regarding short-bout exercisers:
- Able to maintain a higher level of consistency in their workouts.
- Worked out more days per week than the long-bout group.
- Spent more time exercising each week than the long-bout group.
- Ddropped more weight, an average of 19 pounds compared to 14 pounds for the long-bout group.
Other studies have found that brief bouts of exercise, like longer exercise sessions, can help lower cholesterol and seriously reduce the risk of heart disease. Does the I-don’t-have-time excuse start to lose its attractiveness now that you know you can divide your workouts into a few 10-minute sessions? Only if you dig a bit deeper to discover why it’s so difficult to keep to your fitness routine.
Getting to the Heart of the Matter
It turns out that in order to adjust your schedule to accommodate exercise, you must be motivated to do it. People who exercise do not necessarily have more time than you; they have just determined that the benefits of exercise outweigh the benefits of whatever else they could be doing with their time (snoozing, brunching with friends, chores, etc.).
Consider this. How hard would you work to clear an hour of time if someone called and offered you a free massage but just in the next hour? If you enjoy free massages, you’d work hard to rearrange your schedule, just as you do for doctor’s appointments, working late, watching TV, playing computer games, or doing errands.
Exercise is like anything else; until it is a priority for you, you will never make time for it. I could offer you a hundred reasons why exercise should be essential to you, but it’s up to you to decide if it truly is. And if it isn’t, why isn’t it?
The only way to make a net-positive change is to gain insight into why you do what you do (or don’t do).
Admit it – do you genuinely lack the time to exercise, or is there another reason you’re not getting in your workouts? Begin by considering your attitude toward exercise and the reasons you don’t do it. Do you suffer from a fear of failure? Or perhaps you simply don’t know where to begin.
Consider this…
If I commit to exercise, how will I make the time? Review your schedule and see what you can come up with, keeping in mind that you’re not committing to anything yet. Perhaps you could get up 15 minutes earlier for strength training or utilize part of your lunch to go for a brisk walk or workout. Make a list of all the opportunities to exercise, no matter how brief.
What changes would I have to make to my routine in order to exercise? What would you have to change if you used that extra time for exercise, based on your previous list? For example, if you want to exercise in the morning, you should prepare your workout clothing the night before and wake up earlier than usual. Go over each step in your head or, better yet, execute it one day to evaluate what would have to alter if you performed it on a daily basis.
Do What Works for You…
What kind of physical activity would be appealing to me? What would you do if you were to get up in the morning and exercise first thing? Going for a walk outside? Yoga workouts? Maybe a circuit? Make a list of physical activities you are into and envision yourself performing them on a regular basis.
What kind of exercise routine could I handle right now? What would you do if you had to squeeze exercise into your schedule this week? A 15-minute walk before breakfast and a 30-minute walk after lunch? After work, a brief jog with the dog or a fitness DVD before dinner? What number of days of exercise are you willing to commit to? Instead of focusing on how many days you should exercise, focus on how many days you will exercise.
Set up an exercise regimen and commit to performing it for, say, two weeks using all of the information you’ve gathered. Then, take another look at how you’re doing. Do your workouts complement your present routine? Is it working as it should or do you need to make changes? Practice is how you learn what works and what doesn’t.
We sometimes obsess over getting the ideal quantity of exercise that we end up getting no exercise at all. It’s difficult to dispel the notion that long, sweat-inducing workouts are what really ‘count,’ but in this new reality, we must modify our way of life. Making time for exercise, even if it’s only 5 to 10 minutes at a time, is the first step to take toward making it a habit.
Quick Exercise Schedule Example
Here’s an example of how you could work 10-minute workouts into your day:
- Monday consists of three 10-minute cardio workouts.
- Tuesday consists of two or three 10-minute strength training.
- Wednesday consists of two or four 10-minute cardio routines.
- Thursday: Relaxation
- Friday consists of two 10-minute aerobic sessions and one 10-minute strength training.
- Saturday consists of two 10-minute strength sessions and one 10-minute aerobic workout.
- Sunday: Relaxation
If you choose shorter workouts, you may wonder if you can truly get an efficient workout in 10 minutes. Everything is dependent on what you do and how hard you work. When conducting short workouts, you should focus on intensity and push harder than usual. That is, on a scale of 1-10, strive to keep your intensity at 7-9 throughout the workout. It may be difficult, but you only have 10 minutes.
Cardiovascular Exercises
When arranging your workouts, be sure that at least two of your 10-minute sessions incorporate cardiac activity. Any activity will work if you put forth the effort. However, certain activities are more difficult than others and allow you to raise your heart rate more quickly, which is what you want with brief workouts. Here are a few examples:
- Running.
- Walking as quickly as you can.
- Use the stairs.
- Jumping jacks, squat hops, step leaps, kickboxing, jumping rope, and forceful dancing are examples of high-intensity movements.
- Cycling at a high resistance and at a high pace.
- Work out on any cardio equipment at the gym for 10 minutes at a high degree of intensity (speed, resistance, and/or incline).
Workouts for Strength Training
Strength (or resistance) training is another activity that should be included in your shorter exercises. So, if you have thirty minutes (broken up into three 10-minute sessions) planned, you could utilize two for cardio and one for resistance, or you could mix and match based on your schedule.
To maximize your strength training, try a circuit regimen in which you choose 10 exercises and perform each one for roughly a minute (or to fatigue, whichever comes first). To maintain the intensity, pick workouts that utilize more than one muscle group at a time.
