Weight loss and your busy workout schedule are two things that seem to always be in conflict. You want so badly to put in the time for your fitness and health but you just have so much going on that squeezing in even 30 minutes of exercise is impossible.
What do you do when you’re just so busy that your gym membership is wasting away and you haven’t made a dent in your weight loss goals? Instead of continuing with the same methods, you have to change your approach so that you incorporate exercise and healthy eating into your daily life without causing more stress or forcing you to make really big changes you won’t be able to keep up with.
No Junk Food in the Home
Even the healthiest person will tell you of the temptation of having all sorts of junk food in the home. That’s why it’s important to keep your home clear of anything that will make weight loss even harder. As much as exercise matters; our bodies also look the way they do because of the food we eat. An impactful change you can make is ridding your fridge, pantry and cupboards of chips, candy, chocolates, cupcakes and other high calories items.
Find Ways to Incorporate Exercise into the Day
When you’re busy, you won’t always have the time to get that 40 minute workout in so you have to get creative about exercise and find ways to burn calories within your busy day. You can for example, park your car further from your office building so that you can walk a greater distance, or take the stairs instead of an elevator to get to your office. If you have 10 free minutes at home- do squats or lunges. These things contribute to a greater calorie burn and ultimately help to keep you in shape.
Always Have Healthy Food Handy
Being busy often means that you don’t really have time to make healthy meals so you end up reaching for whatever is available in your home. This is perfectly fine if you surround yourself with good food. It means that whatever you reach for won’t stand in the way of your weight loss goal. Keep fruits and other healthy meals handy so that you have the right thing when hunger strikes. Keep something healthy at your desk at work and even in your bag. If you get hungry this will stop you from heading for the nearest vending machine and getting chips and candy.
Make Meals in Batches
Busy people don’t always have the time to prepare meals during the week, which often leads to the trip to a drive through fast food place or you ordering a delivery pizza. On weekends, when you have free time; prepare meals in larger batches so that you can keep them in the fridge or freezer. Things like rice, stews and chicken can be prepared so on those busy days you can just come home, take what you need to eat and microwave it. This stops you from dialling the number of the nearest pizza place.
Schedule Workouts
Being spontaneous about workouts doesn’t often do much but make it easier for you to put them off or procrastinate, so approach exercise as you approach meetings- designate a time for it and put it into your schedule. When 5:30 comes along, you’ll know that there’s somewhere you need to be and you’ll make your way there. Always have the intention to exercise and not a “maybe I will work out today” mentality. More often than not, you’ll end up finding an excuse to avoid it.
Keep Your Workout Gear Close by
One of the many excuses people make when it comes to avoiding a workout is “I can’t find my trainers” or I don’t know where my workout clothes are. Learn to keep everything prepared and close by so that you never utter those words. Keep trainers at the door or in your car so that it’s easy for you to pick them, put them on and get on with your workout. Create a system where you always have an exercise outfit clean, packed in a gym bag and ready for your designated work out time. This way, there’s one less excuse to make.