It is a fast paced world, but making time for your fitness will always pay off. Here are some tips from personal trainers like myself to help you keep on track with your health when time is short.
Get to gym early
Getting up early to go to the gym isn’t as much of a task as it may seem. By leaving early, you’ll miss the traffic and the gym will be less filled and quieter so you don’t have to wait to use your favourite machines. When your session is done, you will have the entire day ahead of you and once you get in the routine you’ll start to feel great.
Prepare the night before
Lay out your gym fit and prepare your bag the night before so you can just jump up, get dressed and go. Make sure you only pack your gym bag basics to ensure you don’t waste time searching around in your bag for unnecessary items.
Prepare your post-workout smoothie in advance
When you have little time it can be tempting to skip some key elements of your gym routine, but recovery is a vital part of fitness. Make your post-workout snack, such as a protein shake the night before. Just whip it out of the fridge before you head to the gym, so you will be able to refuel after your workout. This is especially necessary if you have to go straight to work after your workout.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb mode
In this tech age, we do almost everything with our phones. It is more than a device for just phone calls or text messages. However, it’s easy to get distracted by social media alerts, emails, calls or even just shuffling music. If you want to save some time, simply put your phone on DND mode until your session is over or just leave it in your gym bag.
Set yourself a circuit and repeat
Time can be saved by planning what exercises you’re going to do in advance. Create your own circuit or ask a personal trainer to make one for you and complete it as many times as possible in 20-30 minutes – work with as few rest periods as feels comfortable.
Join the spin class
These 15 to 30 minutes high intensity interval training (HIIT) classes pack a punch when it comes to cardio, burning calories fast. Doing two or three HIIT sessions a week will help build your cardio fitness and get the blood pumping in no time.
Note: Any high intensity training should be mixed with lower intensity exercise to give your body a break and keep it guessing.
