Time Is On Your Side
By: Daniel Green
The most common problem for all beginning exercisers is also one of the easiest to overcome: a lack of time. Or more correctly, a perceived lack of time. Everyone, at one point or another, has told themselves that they simply don't have the time to exercise. Of course, there's always next Monday…
Contrary to popular belief, we all have the time to gain the benefits of exercise. The mistake we make is thinking that we need to power through a one-hour, high-intensity workout to achieve them. But if you break that up into two or three shorter sessions - and commonly accepted guidelines state that this is just as effective - it becomes much easier to find the time. And most experts agree that you don't need a structured program to improve your health, but instead a conscious effort to integrate activity into your daily life.
Plan your workout around your daily routine, rather than struggling to do the opposite. Remember, a brisk walk around the mall is as much a workout as a brisk walk on a treadmill. Stretching during your favorite prime time sitcom is just as effective as waking up a half-hour earlier in the morning and forcing yourself through a flexibility routine. And a resistance-training program put together by an experienced trainer using some inexpensive home equipment like resistance tubing or light dumbbells is a great alternative to pumping iron at the gym each evening.
To make things even simpler, here's an example of typical day of exercise for me: On my lunch break, I usually do some weight training in my company's gym for a half hour or so before eating my lunch in the break room. After work, I like to take my year-old son on a fast-paced walk around my neighborhood and give my wife a break and some time for herself. And later, when she's putting our son to bed, I do a quick stretching routine with the help of a stability ball while I watch some TV.
See how I've worked cardiovascular, resistance, and flexibility into my day without upsetting my routine?
Spend some time thinking about your daily routine and find ways to work exercise into your schedule. You'll find that you are much more likely to stick with a program this way than if you try and reorganize your life around a new exercise routine.
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Daniel Green is the Managing Editor for the American Council on Exercise (ACE) and an ACE-certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Consultant. He is also a Contributing Editor to both ACE
Fitness Matters and ACE Certified News. Visit the ACE Web site at
www.acefitness.org.
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