My clients often tell me they know they need to exercise. Often they even know exactly what they need to do; they just can't find the time. Trust me, now more than ever I understand what this means. Since my triplets came along, finding the time to squeeze in a workout has been a real challenge. 1. Mentally make exercise a priority. This is crucial. Your health is the most important thing in your life. For the sake of your family, your friends, and your coworkers make exercise a priority. Say it aloud "my health is a priority and exercise is crucial to maintain my mental and physical health".
2. Make exercise convenient. If making it to the gym after work isn't going to happen on a regular basis, ditch the gym membership; don't ditch exercise! Sometimes walking out the door and going on a jog is easier than driving to the gym. For me, my triple jogging stroller and audible account were the best investment I made in years. For others, an outdoor bootcamp or group fitness class can offer motivation and convenience. Perhaps a home treadmill is up your ally. Exercise needs to be as convenient as brushing your teeth if you are going to do it everyday. Also, figure out when you are most likely to not "ditch" your workout. For many, this is first thing in the morning. But it may be during your lunch hour or after your kids go to bed for the night. Block in this time for exercise. Just like we shower every morning, this time needs to be available for exercise every day.
3. Make a plan. Make a list of the ways you "tolerate" working out. Perhaps swimming, jogging, a workout DVD, resistance training and fitness classes make the list. Try to list at least 5 options; some that you could do outside, at the gym, or in your house (resistance training can always be done at home without any equipment, see link). Bring up your monthly calendar and punch in your workouts. Plan AT LEAST 3 cardio and 2 resistance-type workouts/week. A personal trainer will help you make a specific plan but there are a ton of FREE online programs that can help you plan workouts and keep you on track (SparkPeople.com is a great one)
4. Make a back-up plan. Thursdays I jog my kids to the park in their stroller as my workout. Sometimes it rains on Thursdays. If your plans have to change (and at some point, they will) have a back-up plan. For me, I do a home workout after the kids go to bed if I cannot jog with them...it is not an option. Keep a stack of workout DVD's handy in case your plans go awry. Print a copy of an online workout and do it while you watch TV. I promise you a workout during TV hour will leave you feeling more relaxed and de-stressed than simply sitting on your couch.
5. Don't "fall off the wagon". An emergency came up at work and you just couldn't get a workout in. So what! Don't beat yourself up or give up hope. There is always tomorrow. Getting in 4 out of 5 scheduled workouts is far better than 0.
Finally, after you come up with your initial plan, stop thinking. After spending 20 hectic minutes getting my kids coats and shoes on, packing up their snacks, and loading them into the stroller; the last thing I "think" I want to do is go on a run. Luckily by this time, it is much harder to unpack everyone then just go :) The reason people are so successful at sticking to an exercise routine once it becomes a habit is simply that. Habits don't require lots of thought. There are plenty of nights my kids have exhausted me to the point I don't even want to brush my teeth before climbing into bed. But alas, just like that darn jog happens, my teeth also get brushed.
Links
Plan and track your workouts - http://sparkpeople.com/
Print out a few of these workouts and keep them handy - ACE Get Fit
