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It’s not always easy to maintain a healthy lifestyle, especially if you are always running around doing other things! When you’re running to work, school, completing errands, etc., keeping up with your fitness is easy to put on the back burner.
However, you don’t have to make it an either-or situation. We have the complete beginner’s guide to fitness with a busy life, so if you’re serious about improving in that regard, we have you covered!
Plan
One of the surefire ways to accomplishing your goals is to plan ahead. We’ve all heard the saying, “Fail to prepare, prepare to fail”. You probably schedule many other things in your life, such as doctor’s appointments or work around a work schedule. Why should your workouts be any different?
If you plan ahead of time and carve out a block of time where you’ll be able to dedicate your full attention just to your fitness, you’re much less likely to make excuses. Just like anything else, we need to place importance on our health. So, make a schedule and put it in your phone, or write it down in an agenda or place it on the fridge. Whatever works for you, but make sure you’re following through!
If you feel like you don’t have any time throughout the day (and you’re going to be getting enough sleep), try waking up earlier! That way it’s already out of the way and you don’t have to worry about it.
When you’re just getting back into the swing of things, you may even dread that workout which can put you in a sour mood during the day. Placing it first avoids this from happening, and you can benefit from that endorphin high instead!
Make the Most of Your Time
Make sure that when you’re ready to workout, you actually know what you’re going to do. To really burn calories and get the most effective results possible, we recommend a fitness routine which involves cardio or aerobic exercise along with compound weight lifts which target various muscle groups simultaneously.
A great example of these lifts would be squats. You can do bodyweight squats if you haven’t yet built up a lot of strength, or if you have, you can add in a squat rack to your home gym!
Perhaps you don’t have enough space for a squat rack along with other workout equipment. There are some great alternatives, such as resistance bands which are great for toning the upper body, and medicine balls, which are great sources of resistance during weighted squats.
For cardio, if you’re limited on space and don’t have the ability to run or cycle outdoors, then you can also get in a great workout inside. Instead of your regular treadmills or ellipticals, try a folding treadmill or a folding elliptical. These gives you all the benefits of the full-size versions without taking up the space.
Remember What You Like
Even if you dread working out or don’t consider yourself a particularly active person, we all have our preferences. If you’re someone who always tried to skip that day in gym class when your class had to run the mile, then you probably don’t want to get a treadmill, for example. But maybe you’d like the elliptical! It’s much easier on the joints, and for some people it feels less monotonous.
However, on the other side of the coin, don’t try to limit yourself to just the things you’ve tried before! Maybe you’ve never had experience with weight training so you tell yourself there’s no point in buying a set of dumbbells. Who knows, it may be your favorite form of exercise! If you’re unsure, you can always experiment with various types of exercise until you find something that suits your personality and preferences.
Start Off on the Right Foot
Oftentimes, when people don’t reach their fitness goals or simply quit exercising altogether, it’s because they set their sights too high initially. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to hit your goals, but it’s also important to be realistic about them. It’s better to set more achievable goals and reach them, then loftier ones that you can’t do right now.
If you haven’t worked out in a long time, try starting out with 30 minutes. 30 minutes is more than enough to get the sweat moving and blood pumping! Once you start to get used to your 30-minute routines, you can then begin extending that time to 45 minutes and then an hour.
Always Keep Your Workout Clothes Handy
If you’re going to be working out at a gym, then you must have some workout clothes on-hand. If you’ll be going straight before or after work, make sure you’ve packed them beforehand so you don’t have an excuse to not go. We recommend always keeping a pair of running shoes and some shorts or leggings in your vehicle just in case.
You can work in a little jog on your lunch break, or if you find yourself in the hills, you can go for a refreshing hike.
Summary
Now that you know all the best beginner tips for keeping your fitness in check with a busy lifestyle, what are you going to start out with first? Many beginners find success and extra motivation through the use of fitness apps too, which can help keep you on track and hold yourself accountable.
We hope that our guide has been helpful to you and that you’re on your way to a happier, healthier lifestyle. Thanks for tuning in, and we’ll see you again shortly!
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