Not enough time to exercise = Number one excuse to why people don’t exercise enough. Well that’s what they tell themselves.
In today’s society, people’s lifestyles are very hectic with getting to and from work and balancing responsibilities (kids), so that leaves hardly anytime for working out.
With Christmas quickly approaching, your hectic schedule is most likely to go into overdrive with all the parties, shopping and decorating. So exercise is very likely to drop lower down the list of things to do.
Don’t become a victim of holiday season induced weight gain. With these 3 easy steps you can escape the “not enough time” excuse.
STEP 1:Schedule Your Workouts- you should treat your exercise times as if it were and important meeting or deadline. So the best way to do this is, is to literally pencil a time into your diary and stick to that time. So find three slots in your weekly schedule that is good for you to do at least 30 mins of exercise.
STEP 2:Get the Most Out Of Each Minute- A great workout can take place in under an hour, when done correctly. The idea is to burn more calories each minute. This is done through short, intense bursts of exercise.
Use the following three tips to bring your routine up to the next level:
- Be Unstable: Use your entire body, and target your core, by performing exercises that engage stabilizing muscles. To do this use an exercise ball, a balance board, a balance disk, or you could simply stand on one leg.
- Add Resistance: The more resistance that you incorporate with your routine translates into higher intensity and more calories burned. Some ideas for adding resistance include: carrying dumbbells while doing lunges, wearing a weighted vest while walking or jogging, or putting a weight between your feet while doing leg raises.
- Use Intervals: Interval training is an amazing tool for creating short yet effective workouts. Interval training is simply alternating between different short bursts of activity.Here’s an example
- Lunge while curling dumbbells, 15-20 repetitions
- 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
- Squat while pressing dumbbells overhead, 15-20 repetitions
- 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
- Crunches on an exercise ball, 15-20 repetitions
- 30 seconds of intense cardio: sprint, jump rope, or jumping jacks
- Leg raises off the end of an exercise bench, 15-20 repetitions
Step 3: Twice the Results in Half the Time:
When you attempt to lose weight or meet a fitness goal on your own, the odds are stacked against you. Sure, you could do it over time – but it’s a long and lonely road. A road lined with detours that threaten to undermine your progress.