Exercises for People Who are Busy and "Don't Have the Time"

Who has time to work out these days? It was hard enough when we were young, single, and studying for school. Now you’re pregnant, postpartum, tired chacing toddlers. Or your packing lunches, driving your teenagers around. Working your butt off at the office or from home. Heck, you might even be retired or a grandparent helping out your kids raise their own children. Whatever stage you are in, there never seems to be enough time to work out. Here are some simple ways to incorporate exercise into your day so that you don’t need to stop what you are already doing. (Note: we do think you should take a break for yourself but if you are not ready to do that… read on below!)

Replace Driving with Walking, Running, or Biking to Work

If you don’t commute to work then use the time you would have commuted to work out. If you are heading into the office or place of work, then try biking. More often then not we tend to drive (even to close locations) because we have a desire to get their faster - let’s face it, driving is convenient. But substituting that drive and walking or biking is a great way to squeeze in your daily exercise without changing anything else in your day. If you feel unsafe biking, take side streets or ensure to use the bike lanes. For walkers with a long distance you can listen to a podcast or music or a meditation tape. It’s also great for the environment. If a bit too far of a distance, consider walking or running one way and then cabbing home (might be the same price as parking or your company may even let you expense if you negotiate).

Fit Exercise Into Your Daily Activities

Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Or take the elevator and then just get off a couple floors early. Use the bathroom that is further away from your desk. Squat over the toilette to use your quad muscles). Do leg raises while washing your hands (if no one is watching). Try squats while washing dishes. Don’t be afraid to take the longer routes that get you moving the most. Better yet, change you routine and create a new one that incorporates more movement like a walk after dinner every night.

Use the Time You Have While Waiting for Something

There are probably many times throughout our day to day routine that we are sitting around waiting for something to finish. Whether that's waiting for the clothes to finish washing or waiting for dinner to cook. During this down time, you can take the opportunity to make some initiatives such as skipping, lunges, push ups, or even some light stretching. Exercising in small periods throughout the day can be an effective way of getting active without having to commit a lot of your free time.

Focus on High Intensity Exercise for a Shorter Period of Time

A 20 minute timeframe doing something 8-10/10 intensity like interval training is just as effective as a long drawn out work-out. Peloton has capitalized on this by offering people 20 minute classes. Skipping rope is a great way to get some sufficient cardio within a short frame of time. Skipping rope can be intense physical activity and may even be more effective than other forms of cardio. If you don’t necessarily have the time to go for a run, skip rope for a couple minutes! Try doing 10 push ups. So long as your body is warm, a high intensity option can be more efficient and less time consuming.