How To Balance Fitness Goals With A Busy Work Schedule

Women these days run businesses, juggle multiple responsibilities and live a busy lifestyle. They’re changing the world with their contributions. While it’s certainly impressive, you tend to compromise on other aspects of your life — such as physical health.

Fitness is vital for overall well-being. If you need help getting exercise into your schedule, read these six tips.

You must first organize your schedule. If you want something more advanced than a planner, there are free scheduling apps for mobile phones, so you can check your timetable all day and see what’s coming. Some can predict and automate your subsequent actions. You also save mental energy from having to remember everything on your itinerary.

List all your to-dos for the day and plot a time for each task. Set a deadline to optimize your time and remember to block at least 30 minutes off for exercise. You should do this at the same time every day, like in the morning or before the next day.

The World Health Organization recommends at least 150 to 300 minutes of moderate physical activity weekly. If you exercise from Monday to Saturday, this comes down to at least 25 minutes daily, which is short. Find a way to incorporate exercise into your routine, especially if you do an office job.

Sitting and staring at a computer for extended periods may lead to back pain and other postural concerns. Lower back pain is the third most prevalent cause of doctor visits, but stretching can help relieve back pain symptoms caused by poor posture. Try taking a walk before or after work to loosen up those taut muscles further.

A goal allows you to track your progress and preview which parts of your schedule are modifiable. Set clear goals you can measure — instead of aiming to be in “better shape,” you can write “exercise for 25 minutes six times a week” or “lose four pounds in a month.”

Ensure your goal is attainable but still challenging. At every month’s end, review it and celebrate your win if you’ve met it. Otherwise, determine the reasons for failing and use them as a baseline for your next fitness goal. If you’re too busy, find ways to stack activities, like walking and grocery shopping.

If you’re like others who enjoy exercise as a social activity, you may feel more inspired to hit the gym with an accountability partner. It’s harder to skip a workout with a friend, spouse or co-worker to hold you accountable.

Doing crunches, push-ups, and weight lifting with a buddy makes exercise more fun and competitive. If you intend to miss your workout, you must have a good reason — you’ll have to explain it to your partner. 

Workplace stress affects your enthusiasm to commit to an active lifestyle, so learn a strategy to regulate pressure. You can explore meditation, therapy and practicing gratitude to find what works for you.

Others turn to yoga, pilates or tai chi to decompress, which is better since they combine exercise with stress management. Adopt at least one method to control stress before it wreaks havoc on your life.

Technology is beneficial for busy career women who also run their households. You can use computer applications to automate your budget, bill payments, meal planning, groceries and expense tracking, which usually take a significant amount of time.

If you manage a business, you can automate more tasks, such as fulfilling orders and customer service. Doing this frees you up some time to get to your fitness training.

Your exercise goals should be a priority even if you have a busy lifestyle. A balanced lifestyle centers on managing time and self-discipline to achieve your goals. Setting time for every task helps stabilize separate areas of your life, like career and fitness.