I don’t have time to exercise!
We hear it all the time and completely understand. Committing to a regular exercise regime is hard.
Seriously. Even PT’s have days when putting on workout gear and getting to the gym seems like a chore.
But I do it – because it makes me feel good, enhances my productivity, improves my physical health and puts me in a positive frame of mind. Despite all the excuses my mind conjures up (trust me, there’s plenty of them), I know that the benefits of moving my body will far outweigh the negatives and that I’m guaranteed to feel better once I’ve done it.
Excuses, Excuses
People throw around a lot of excuses about why they can’t exercise. Top of the list? I don’t have time.
While I‘m generally a big softy, ‘I don’t have time’ is one excuse that doesn’t fly with me! Why? Because I believe that it’s not that people don’t have time to exercise, it’s that they don’t prioritise and make time to exercise.
Hold on. Hear me out.
If you’re someone who often uses the ‘I don’t have enough time’ excuse, consider that a 30-minute workout is a fraction of your day. Two percent, to be precise.
That’s right, two percent!
If you took a good, hard and honest look at how you spend your days, how productively do you use your time? Are there pockets of time that are wasted?
I’m not suggesting you fill your calendar to the brim with to-do’s. Definitely not. What I am saying, is that it’s likely that you waste time each day doing things that don’t add value to your life – like scrolling social media, watching YouTube clips, having meaningless conversations with colleagues, unnecessarily working overtime or spending a big chunk of time getting ready each morning – when you could be using this time to do something that invigorates and energises you, like exercising.
Author and motivational speaker Mel Robbins says:
Busy is a choice and, of the many excuses people use to rationalise why they can’t do something, busyness is the laziest excuse. In reality, we prioritise and do the things we WANT to do.
Saying you’re too busy to exercise is just another way of saying that you don’t want to exercise.
Ouch! Mel Robbins isn’t one for holding back.
If you are truly focused on enhancing your health and expanding your happiness, I challenge you to look at your calendar for the coming week and ask yourself: Where (and how) can I make time to exercise? Can you:
- get up 30 minutes earlier?
- step outside the office on your lunch break and go for a walk?
- do some yin yoga before bed?
- cancel a social engagement that doesn’t excite you?
- make a meeting more concise and have it finish early?
- ask a family member or friend to look after the kids so you can go to the gym?
- get the kids on board and do a family workout?
There are always options. Sometimes, you just have to be a little creative and think outside the box.
Another thing to consider when you feel time poor and like you couldn’t possibly squeeze another commitment into your day is that many people claim to be MORE productive when they exercise. And these aren’t just your run of the mill folk like you and I. I’m talking about people like Barack Obama and Ryan Holmes (the CEO of Hootsuite)!
It seems counter-intuitive to think that time spent exercising actually gifts us more time, but it’s true!
When we exercise we have more energy, are more focussed, make fewer mistakes and work more efficiently. Surely if an ex-President and CEO understand the value of exercising and make it a priority in their busy days, we can too.
In saying all of this, I understand that going to the gym can be time intensive and take you away from doing important things like spending time with your family or simply, relaxing. Let’s do the calculations. The average gym bunny (male or female) spends:
- 10 minutes getting ready to go to the gym
- 15 minutes driving to the gym
- 60 minutes working out
- 15 minutes driving home.
That’s a whopping 1 hour and 40 minutes… and you’re still a hot sweaty mess! Factor in the time it takes to shower and change, that’s a massive chunk of time out of your day. Ain’t no one got time for that!
This is where you need to get creative
If you know you should exercise so that you can feel your best self, but feel like traveling to the gym or a class chews up too much of your precious time, think outside the box. Do a DIY circuit at home or, if you’re someone who benefits from support, motivation and accountability, mobile personal training could be just what you need.
Think of Mobile Personal Training like a pizza delivery service
But healthier… waaaaaay healthier.
Your trainer arrives on your doorstep with everything you need to work out in the privacy of your own home. Imagine what you could do with all that extra time!?
A 30-minute targeted workout with a trained professional can get you results faster than you’d see going to the gym and training by yourself for an hour every day.
Plus, you’ll get bucket loads of motivation and encouragement to keep you on track.
Maryam, an anesthetist at a busy Brisbane hospital, had these words to share about her experience with Mobile Personal Training Brisbane Northside
Sam is the best personal trainer for somebody like me with a very busy and stressful lifestyle. He is very encouraging, professional, friendly and most importantly flexible. He introduces new exercises based on my level of energy and other requirements. It’s almost a year and I have noticed a real change in my strength. I am pretty sure, I would stop exercising without his encouragement.
If you’re ready to stop making excuses and experience all the benefits that come with committing to a regular exercise regime, mobile personal training Brisbane northside may be exactly what you need.
Get in touch and let’s talk about how we can give you back some time in your day and enhance your wellbeing.
