Time-Efficient Ways To Include Some Consistent Exercise Into Your Schedule

By Shane Martin on February 25, 2019

Working out can be tough to weave into your schedule. After all, the key to staying in shape is through the consistency of your exercise, not necessarily the intensity of it (that being said, bad form and laziness, even if consistent, will not get you anywhere). Trying to set aside an hour or two a day to go to the gym can be tough. On top of that, if you’re the type to go all-out during exercise, your body will fatigue quickly and force you into taking a break the next day or week. So, how can you fit working out into your daily schedule without exhausting your timebank or your energy? Here are some alternatives for those of us who can’t get around to the gym every day due to lack of time, money, or willpower.

The following must be done with consistency. It’s much easier to find the motivation to workout today if you worked out yesterday, rather than if you just took a break for a week.

From Pexels.com

Short bursts at the same time

Following the theme of consistency, the best way to fit some exercise into your day is through short intervals: five-ten minutes at a time. Try to make this part of a routine so that it becomes a habit to get some physical activity. The best times I’ve found to incorporate a quick five-minute workout is around my teeth-brushing. So, either every morning right after you wake up (before breakfast) or every evening before you go to bed (leave some time to digest dinner though) do a fast high-intensity workout. Furthermore, on days I want to be a little more active, (and the weather sucks) while I’m gaming, I tend to do a little something in between games so that I’m not sitting in the same spot for too long.

Grab a friend!

Most things are better when done in the company of someone you like. They are even more enjoyable when both you and that person are working towards the same goal. With that in mind try and get these little bursts of exercise done with a friend! This could be as easy as convincing your roommate ? or someone on your floor (if you live in a dorm) to either do the short activities with you, or at the very least, cheer/coach you on. If you’re binge-watching a T.V. show with someone, after each episode you (and that person?) can get some activity in prior to starting the next one. You can even make it competitive and see who could stay consistent for the longer amount of time — but that doesn’t mean you should stop at the competition’s end!

Weekly break day

This is vital: make sure you have at least one day off every week. A rest day is as old as the Bible, and more importantly, it allows your body to recuperate after your six days of working out. Don’t overwork yourself because that will only serve as a detriment to your body. Exercise destroys your muscle to make way for a new and improved version, so doing too much exercise is essentially kicking yourself while you’re down. Thus, it is imperative to take one day off every week, and it is even more crucial to make that consistent as well. So if you work out every Monday thru Saturday, take every Sunday off.

From Pexels.com

Recommendations

Like any other workout regiment, it makes sense to balance which areas of your body you’re targeting. With all this in mind, here are some suggestions as to what to do without using any hard-core gym equipment. Each of these should be done with high intensity in a short period of time so that cardio/stamina is always worked.

Week 1, abs: hold plank (for a minute to two, depending on your strength, and as you get stronger, add 5-10 seconds every few weeks) and maybe some bicycles or leg lifts.

Week 2, upper body: hold plank, and then incorporate some pull-ups, or if you don’t have a pull-up bar, some simple push-ups work fine.

Week 3, lower body: hold plank, and move to either holding squat position, doing a certain number of squats, or even squat-jumps.

Notice each part has planking incorporated: this is an excellent thing to do for your body all around since it targets practically everything. That being said, I’d recommend this activity no matter which week you’re on.