Are you too busy to spend a couple of minutes for your fitness workout? Do you know that one of the biggest challenges to achieve and maintain a great shape is the issue of Time Management , or to find out the time to exercise despite having a week full of daily commitments. So that, ordinary people needs a lifestyle and fitness nutrition guide to maintain their fitness.
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This guide won’t tell you what to eat but, this will show you what to do and how to do for fitness. The reality is that most of us aren’t look like models and athletes , and rightfully so. These superstars rely on being fit as part of their job description. Athletes train hours a day, models and actresses need to maintain their shape as part of their contracts. But, what about the commons?
The normal folk are moms, sisters, student , bread-winners, dog-walkers, office workers, couch potatoes, shopaholics, patio drinkers, and homemakers. In other words, we don’t have the benefit or the responsibility of taking care of our bodies as a full-time job though there are a lots of health benefits of being fit .
We have what you may call real-world commitments — that 9 to 5, your school schedule, child minding, patch mending, floor waxing, and so forth. We drive ourselves to work, take the subway, bus our own trays, and cut our own onions. The question is, where exactly do we get the time to be fit in the exercise when we’re juggling all these things at once?
Like the rest of you looking to find an easy 30 minutes of regular free time to get fit, I’m always striving to manage the other ten thousands of my daily to-do list. There are 3 main things that I do to help me find the time for fitness, despite the real-world commitments like laundry, general house maintenance, cooking, and other household chores.
Batch Processing:
My partner introduced me to one of today’s best everyday rational thinkers, author Tim Ferris . One of Tim’s suggestions is to be more thoughtful about how you attack your work; rather than sporadically jabbing at your to-do list, he recommends “batch processing,” or completing similar tasks all at once. To apply Tim’s suggestion to your own approach to life and fitness, aim to group similar tasks together and get them done in one shot or batch .
You should aim to prepare as much of your meals for the week all at once on a Sunday evening or Monday morning. You know, on a Monday night, I take the time to wash, cut, and prepare all my veggies for the week, so they’re ready to go whenever I need them . That way, when I get home after work, I just grab a handful, throw them in the pan with a few eggs, and I’m ready to eat in about to 2 minutes flat.
Similarly, I like to grill up a few chicken breasts, steam some brown rice, boil any whole grain pasta I need for week, as well as prepare my “anytime” snacks. I wash and separate my grapes, slice my low-fat cheese into portion-sized bites, and so forth. The whole gig takes only about an hour, and this you don’t have to repeat every time you need to eat the upcoming week.
Ultimately, you’re saving your daily meal-prep time by “batch processing” one time at the beginning of the week, so when you’re tired or feel like you don’t have hours to cook, eating healthy becomes much easier. This means you “gain” more hours to exercise each day .
Dedicate a Day:
Continuing with this idea of “batch processing,” you might like to dedicate a day to doing certain menial tasks that need to get done. You might do it as Friday is laundry day, Monday is grocery day and etc. Knowing exactly when you’re slated to do certain things helps you organize your time, and in turn, see how best to fit in your workouts.
You might even decide to get all your running around done in one shot, which would definitely be an effective way of freeing up time to hit the gym; you can group Laundry Day and Grocery Day together, and not have to worry about chores for the remainder of the week.
However, devoting a specific day for different tasks can have its own advantages as well. You’re still be strategic and organized, so it just depends on your preference and how big your blocks of free time are. Whichever way you decide to do it, dedicating a specific day to getting certain tasks done will ultimately help you fit in that workout, no matter how much housework be there.
Double Up:
We’ve all heard about the benefits of multitasking , but have you ever considered its applications outside of the office setting? In this case, doubling up your work doesn’t mean taking on two files at once, rather crossing two chores off your list simultaneously.
Personally, if I’m planning on going out of the apartment, I make sure to swing by the grocery store or pharmacy, or pick up my dry cleaning. I don’t own a car, so if I’m taking the time to hoof it anywhere in the vicinity, I’ll be sure to go an extra block and gather anything I need from the store at the same time which is also thought to be as multitasking.
If you have a car, applying this same mindset can save on gas and needless trips as well. Instead of leaving the house for a billion different times, just double up your errands and combine them into one trip like grocery, dry cleaning, pickup, dentist appointment all in one.
Doubling up your tasks makes for less time wasted and more free minutes to devote to your workout . If I’m taking an hour to prepare my meals, I’ll throw in a load of laundry at the same time. Rather than just sit around waiting for the wash to finish, I’ll make good use of this otherwise idle time and slice up my veggies and all that fun stuff.
If you’re having a friend over for a cup of coffee, why not throw your whites in the dryer? You’ll have a good hour or so to enjoy with your buddy, and this way, you can kill two birds with one stone , so to speak — be active both socially and domestically.
But, the lifestyle of a Student is different from the ordinary people. Student life poses its own unique challenges to stay active and healthy. It is a little more difficult to find the motivation to exercise as well as keep your commitments of staying fit if you are a student. So, here you will get some essential cues to ensure that you find the time to get your butt in gear — both with the books as well as in the gym.
Figure Out Your Peak Hours:
When I was writing this post for you, I understood that creativity can come and go in bursts. However, you don’t really want to be on standby near your computer all the time either. Test out your essaying at different times of the day; you’ll likely find that you’re most productive during certain times of the day.
For me, I find that I can really churn it out from when I first wake up until a few hours later. My peak hours are typically the first 4-5 hours of the morning, depending on when I wake up.
In terms of making sure you stay fit despite the demands of your pending thesis, study or essay, aim to head to the gym or bike path in the hours outside of your peak hours . In effect, you’re making the best use of your time, as you’re working when you’re most creative and exercising when you’re not.
Exercise When You’re Off:
Likewise, if you’re studying for exams and still trying to stay active, try to tune into body’s signals and use this for a cue as to when you should get in a workout. If you feel your mental concentration waning, head to the gym for a brief bout of exercise because, switching gears and doing something completely physical can indeed be helpful to the creative process by allowing your mind to recharge.
Instead of focusing on the words on paper, your mind gets a break putting your body in the driver’s seat instead. The endorphins can be a good boost for your willpower as well. You might find that you’ll return to your desk feeling physically and mentally refreshed rather than fatigued and “ not in the mood ” to study fractions.
Go Before Class:
Student life often includes a lot of social outings. When I was finishing up my graduation, there were numerous parties, nights out at the bar, and other get togethers within the program. Who really wants to miss out on all that?
To ensure that you’re free and available to join the gang at the pep rally, get in your workout before you head to class , rather than after completing the class. Most activities tend to take place in the evening, so if you still want to enjoy sleeping in until 11, make your workout shortly after you wake up.
Create Your Own Agenda:
One of the great perks of student life is the flexible schedule. You wake up when you want, study when you like and go about your business when you wish. However, this freedom can be as much a curse as it is a blessing. Lack of structure can make both your motivation and time management suffer, and this in turn affects your fitness goals.
Rather than sporadically exercising on a whim, etch out a personal timetable for yourself based on some of the factors mentioned above: when you’re most productive, when your classes take place, and when most of your extracurricular activities happen.
Since class doesn’t always start at 10 am each day and sometimes you’re off, try to pencil in a workout day for each day of the week. Even if the time you work out varies day-to-day, you’ll still have your workouts scheduled as if it were class or an appointment. If you have each day of the week’s workout set in stone, then it’s easier to make sure you get to the jogging path regularly instead of “when you feel like doing it.
Student life is one of those dear times when you can often get away with taking every day as a Monday. Take advantage of your free time and get out on the field, toss a ball, join a club, and also try to be active and fit to defeat the world.
Another interruption in the way of fitness workout is being social, but you should never think of being unsocial to maintain your fitness. You are now going to see my ongoing quest to ensure that I can balance being social with my fitness goals .
T his upcoming Thursday, I have a workplace event going on after hours. A colleague of mine is moving on, and we’re all getting together at the bar post-shift to bid her adieu . Knowing that I work 9-6, I can foresee some juggle that needs to be done in order to get in a workout before the drinks hit the table at 730. Taking my Thursday night plans as a case study in managing priorities, follow along as I outline some helpful tips for organizing your schedule to fit everything in.
Know Your Numbers:
To allow me to get in a workout prior to hitting the bar, I’ll need to figure out the best time to go for a jog. Depending on if you’re a night owl or a morning person, your decision could be pretty simple.
Depending on how much time you have between your end of shift and when everyone’s meeting up, it’s also possible to grab your sneakers and hit the trails briefly before going out, so you’ll need to calculate your time pretty wisely. When I say “ know your numbers ”, I’m mostly referring to the following 3 things:
1) How long you’re planning on taking to work out.
2) How long it takes you to get ready. and
3) How long it’ll take you to get from either your bathroom or the gym showers to the evening’s locale.
These are the three biggies that you need to consider when planning your workout pre-pub crawl. If you’re able to go before work, count backwards from the time you need to clock in. Account for your commute to work, the time you need to shower and pretty up, the length of your workout, and finally, any prep you need when you wake up.
So if you’re not comfortable with waking up at 5 am in order to get in a jog before the work day begins, count forwards from the time your shift is up. In the event that you’re okay with waltzing in after the first round of drinks has hit the table (there’s benefits to this, btw), you might be okay with going for a quick cardio after work.
Make Adjustments:
If your work hours are fairly flexible, see if you can adjust your in-and-out time to allow you to get in a workout sooner in the day, either before work or after. For me, my hours are flexible so long as I clock a certain amount per day. As such, the time that everyone’s planning on meeting up is not enough for me to gett’er done comfortably after work, but an extra hour in the morning makes running at 7:30 am as opposed to 6:30 am a lot more attractive.
Swap Sessions:
I normally like to get in some daily cardio and resistance training, and this can add up to about an hour in the gym. If I have to do it before work (or after my shift) for a strategic reason, it’s probably wise to compress my workout so that I’m not spending any more time than I need to in the gym that day.
Since I don’t have an infinite amount of time on Thursday, I’m going to swap out my resistance training for that day. Instead, I’m going to hop on the treadmill for a quick cardio . This way, I can cut about 40 minutes out of my normal routine.
Whatever exercises I would have done had I more time can be taken care of on an alternate day . Granted you don’t have events lined up back-to-back-to-back, you can always pump the iron the following gym session. Knowing how to improvise will help make sure you stay active and social by striking a happy balance between the work and the play.
It can be tough work, but ultimately, I remind myself how proud I’ll be when I reflect on how I was able to fit everything into my day. It’s easy to just give up and opt to give up your workouts every time there’s a social calling.
Once or twice is okay, but depending on how often you do this, you might find yourself taking two steps back from your fitness and nutrition goals. Like I’ve always said, it’s all about what you do most of your time, so if you’re always opting out of your workouts in favour of going to the bar, then your body is going to show the sum of these efforts soon .
Reason Of Following This Lifestyle And Fitness Nutrition Guide:
I am sure, you also know that successful exercise workout management is more of a lifestyle than just losing weight . However, lets see the reasons of following the above guide:
Hating The Player, Plus the Game:
It should be the other way around, but as we know that misery really does love company . In general, people tend to rag on other people’s success because we envy what other people have achieved.
Do you remember Seth Rogen ‘ s post-weight-loss transformation? The formerly chubby writer and actor apparently experienced some negative reactions following his slim-down for his lead role in the movie The Green Hornet .
It is mysterious enough that it was rumored that some fans agitated him for “selling out” and jumping on the Hollywood Trim-Down Train. Rather than applaud his decision to lead a healthier life (a decision for which he saw results), kids out there in the blogosphere arched their backs and lamented Rogan’s loss of backbone, as though losing weight also meant a loss of character.
No longer the Cool Chubby Kid, Rogan had become the Generic Gym Guy. I read these online articles with interest, mainly because I was impressed with how Rogan had made such a worthwhile change and how he’d handled the comments post slim-down.
Equally, take any one of today’s young starlets’ decision to tone up. Why is that we criticize others so much for getting fit? Personally, I see Leann Rimes ’ bangin bikini body and give her some major mental props.
I can tell you right now that being that lean is a hell of a ride in the gym and in the kitchen. She’s obviously worked hard to get fit, and all the power to her. We hate on her because we’re not there ourselves, and we want her to “slow down” and stop “making us feel bad” for not meeting our own goals. We scapegoat her so we can be happier with ourselves. Can you now imagine why you should follow the above guide?
My Own Worst Enemy:
Often, other people’s healthy decisions, especially if made public, cause us to reflect on our own lifestyle choices, for better or for worse. I’ve personally seen a lot of defensive attitudes shown when we really should be supporting and commending those who are making the active change to their lifestyles.
If someone orders a salad, I’ll hear something like, “ Wow my fellow, you eat so healthy. I know I should be too, but I don’t really care about that stuff. I can’t be bothered .” A healthy choice made by one person beckons an explanation from another as to why they’re not making the same decisions. It’s funny, a salad can never just be a salad when ordered next to a burger and fries.
Why the defensive attitudes? Oddly, we, ourselves, feel judged by the positive changes other people make. It’s as though your peer’s decision to cut back on sweets and hit the gym regularly begs the question that so what are you doing to better yourself?
We feel cornered, we feel envious, we feel anxious, and we ultimately feel judged. The ironic thing is that it’s not other people who are judging us; rather, it’s our own inner critic who’s pointing the finger. We guilt ourselves after seeing someone do what we “should” be doing, and we feel the need to defend ourselves against this self-conceived barrage of attacks on our lifestyle.
The Best Defence is a Good Offence:
The other day, I had my routine all planned out as usual. Go to work, hit the gym hard right after my shift, then revel in the freedoms of having “gotten it over with” earlier rather than later. Some buddies had suggested dipping out for drinks post-work, an idea to which I wasn’t opposed, but with one condition that I show up following my customary workout.
Now, it’s totally possible to have fun and be social while still making your fitness goals. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. In any case, I had decided to pop in and out of the gym briefly, then stop in to see my buddies, really.
I was met with some light teasing for my fervent commitment to exercise. “Come on, you’re so skinny, you can come sooner” or “You can miss it this once,” or even better, “You exercise so much”. I may try to take the comments with a grain of salt, because I know the buddies really mean no harm and that they just wish to spend time with me.
I usually answer playfully along the lines of “Yes, but this is how I stay this way,” or I go on to shake fun and joy at my own so-called fitness devotion. I joke that I’m aspiring to beat up Captain America or to one day be able to flex and shred the clothes off my back like the Hulk when he gets mad. That’s what you have to do sometimes . People don’t want to hear about the work that’s involved with getting from Point A to B. They’d much rather see a fit body than have to deal with the everyday decisions they make in order to get that way.
What I realized is that you need to expect the curious-cum-envious comments about the way you’re taking care of your health and fitness. Coaxing the endeavor you’re making is a potentially very effective solution to all the comments and questions, but I prefer to divert through humor.
I think what also scares other people about health and fitness is that it seems so serious. You’re a Gym Rat, and suddenly everything about your life becomes as grievous as a visit to the Principal’s office. Responding in a light but enigmatic fashion is often the best case. You’re not getting defensive, but you’re not making excuses either.
Play On:
So, you may or may not have to face the questions and curiosity of other people who want to know what the deal is behind your recent lifestyle changes . Understanding the motives behind why we criticize other people’s lifestyle choices has helped me a lot in my own journey.
Sure, sometimes it can get frustrating when you’re met with peer pressure to eat poorly or skip your workout. But knowing it that the people this is coming from, I’d be crushed to believe that what they’re doing is trying to intentionally make me slip up. Some folks might truly want to take you down a peg fitness-wise, but others out there are just unconsciously dealing with a forced reflection on their own health and fitness choices.
I believe that those who are really your friends do actually support you, despite their playful teasing . As I said, your pals want you to socialize and spend time with them, and they probably guess that if you’re in the gym “all the time,” you’ll have less time with them. Best thing to do is to be light and humorous about the situation, but reassure your friends that you’ll still be around, despite your commitments.
You may not be drinking them under the table every night, but you still value their friendship and look forward to spending quality time with them. Put their concerns to rest and you’re likely to see less of that pressure from your buddies and that’s why you need to follow the above guide to be fit and social at the same time.
Finally , the purpose of this fitness guide is to show you the way of completing fitness workout while you are too busy or even you get some extra chores as a social being. You know, a guideline is always helpful to overcome any obstacle. Hope this post will help you. Best Wishes for your desired Lifestyle And Fitness.