5 Tips Finding Time for Fitness

This year has been a struggle for me to finding time for fitness.  When I had a hardcore goal, like training for a bikini competition, it was easy enough to wake up super early (I’m talking 4 a.m. early) to get my workout done, because if I didn’t put in the workout time I’d be feeling pretty awkward standing on stage in a sparkly red bikini with a muffin top over the sides.  (Bikini competitions: the ultimate motivator).

Now that I’m taking a break from bikini competitions and working two part-time jobs (personal trainer and real estate business) my schedule is all over the map and the thought of getting up at 4 a.m. just because ‘I should’ has not been working out so well.  Also, exercising at the end of the day seems to be an even bigger struggle because, well, I’m tired.  Midday workouts would be fine if it weren’t for that whole need-a-shower-after-exercise thing.  Showering takes up time.

Some days I find myself putting off workouts because my hair looked good that morning and I don’t want to get it all sweaty or have to blow dry it again. The hair thing honestly seemed like a perfectly valid excuse because it takes a lot for my hair to look decent.

It just seems like I have no time for anything these days. 

It made me wonder if this was a normal thought.  According to the Bureau of  Labor Statistics‘ study on how Americans spent their time in 2018,  the average working woman with a child under age 6 gets approximately 3.01 hours of leisure time per day and increases to 3.59 hours if the kids are between 6-17.  That seems like more than I thought it would be.

Personally, I prefer the 2014 poll that was randomly done by a furniture store that says moms only get 17 minutes of “me time” per day.  The science may be bunk, but it least it gave all us moms a valid excuse to put off doing Zumba videos.  But with 3-4 hours of leisure time?  That gives us time to play on our phones, watch our favorite TV show and still have an hour to do something else.  Like exercise.  (See, this is why studies are confusing and not at all helpful.)

I think the easiest fix would be to become a working father of a 6-17 year old because they get 4.20 hours of leisure time, plus a pot reference to boot.

But I digress.

Here are 5 tips to find time for fitness:

1. Wake up earlier and get your workout done before everyone else wakes up.
2. If lunchtime workouts are an option, do a shorter high intensity interval training (20 minutes) to give yourself enough time (10 minutes) to take a shower and freshen up after.
3. Want to exercise after work but feel sluggish?  Have a piece of fruit then do cardio.  The fruit has natural sugar (fructose) which will give you a nice energy boost, and by doing cardio immediately after eating it you know the fructose will be used for energy and not as metabolic fat storage.
4. If that 17 minutes of “me time” sounds more accurate than 3 hours, then make the most of those precious few minutes.  Try a run-walk (run for one minute then walk for a minute) and stop after 15 minutes, which still gives you 2 whole minutes to goof off.  If you are an overachiever, combine exercise with something that is equally pleasurable, like listening to an audio book or running with a friend.
5. No interest in sweaty selfies?  Do strength training with light weights or lower reps with heavier reps only to the point where you are warm, but not sweating.  You can also split up your workouts into short 10 minute segments throughout the day.  Try 10 minutes of modified pushups in the morning, 10 minutes of ab crunches when you get home from work, and 10 minutes of bodyweight squats after dinner.  That’s a 30 minute workout spread throughout your day that will work wonders to tone up your muscles.

My personal challenge is to go to the gym at 5 a.m. every day this week and post a picture on Instagram (@lisatraugott), because early morning workouts tend to work best for me.  I’ve replaced my bikini competition motivation with the goal of being able to do unassisted chin ups again.  (I’m a big believer in short-term goals as motivation.) Feel free to join in and put a segment of your 3.01-3.59 hours of leisure time to good use.

Lisa 😉

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Lisa Traugott is a personal trainer, Mom’s Choice Award writer, original cast member of FOX/John Cena’s “American Grit” and has a monthly fitness column on Bowflex.com. She won Ms. Costa Rica Sports Model 2017 and her transformation story was featured in Muscle & Fitness Hers, Good Day Austin, Great Day Houston and Austin Woman Magazine. She blogs at ShesLosingIt.com and is passionate about her clients.

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