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We all have mixed feelings about working from home (if you are able to).  Now, you have more reasons to have a home gym with zero travel time plus no access hours, but of course,  the comfy couch and a great Netflix show are so inviting ! You have fewer workplace distractions so you can focus on your task at hand … but if you have any of those little ones demanding your attention, distracting you and keeping you busy then it can be draining. We may argue, working from home means one is busier than ever, multitasking between laundry, children and pets, emails, meal times and so much more. However, exercising to take good care of yourself and feeling good should always be a priority, but you might feel like you just don’t have the time to fit it in anywhere.

Here are some tips and tricks you can start implementing to “try” and fit more exercise into your week:

1. Track your activity levels.

Get a baseline of how much exercise and steps you are getting on a daily basis. You could be getting in way more steps than you think just because of more constant cleaning or chasing people around the house. Without a baseline of knowing how many minutes you worked out or how many sessions you did in a week, it’s hard for you to see progress. Tracking your activity also makes you realize where improvements could be made and where there are gaps that you could workout in. This moves us to the next point…

2. Schedule it and Do it!

Scheduling it dedicates mindset and time aside for your exercise.  Excuses love when you don’t schedule. This is where we make excuses not to work out because we simply don’t have the time due to longer work hours, needing to make dinner for the family, etc. Not that we are suggesting you not to make dinner, but rather, better plan for it. Plan for an easier dish every Wednesday so you have an extra half hour to workout. A schedule allows you to make time for the things that are important to us, and taking care of yourself and feeling good IS important (just a reminder ?).

3. Something is better than nothing.

Dedicate the time that you can. If you got half an hour to spare rather than an hour, take it! Working out for half an hour is better than taking no time at all. Maybe you could never take a full hour for yourself due to your responsibilities but over the course of the day, you have two half hours, that makes an hour! So take what you can get sometimes and make it work for you.

4. Wake up earlier to workout.

Okay night owls, we hear you. There is just something about a morning workout that makes you feel good, knowing you started the day with your best foot forward. Early mornings is like the calm before the storm, the time you actually can have for yourself. Mornings can be tough but this also goes hand in hand with planning and scheduling. Plan your morning the night before so you are ready to start your day earlier, maybe make some overnight oats so you don’t have to think about making breakfast.

5. Do what you love.

When we do what we love, we build passion and motivation. The great thing about these two things is that it rubs off on other people. Your housemates or family may soon want to join you simply because it seems FUN. This makes it easier for you to find time if it becomes a family affair. The BEST thing is that doing what you love helps you find more ways for you to do it. It motivates you to find time to work out because it isn’t a chore but rather something fun. Listen to yourself and your body, not every exercise is for everyone. Maybe you want to do pilates, and not lift weights. Maybe you want to lift weights and not run. If you don’t like running, then don’t, work on your cardio some other way with HIIT exercises, biking, etc. There are so many exercises that you don’t have to do ones you don’t like and still work on the same things.

 

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