We’ve all been there at some point. You’ve got so much going on in life that you simply don’t have time to exercise. The only problem with thinking that way is that you’re wrong.
Sure, you’re probably busy working at least 40 hours per week, let alone all your other responsibilities like family obligations and anything else that occupies your time. Even factoring everything in, chances are if you don’t have time, it’s simply because you don’t make the time.
Why You Think You Don’t Have Time to Exercise
Let’s face it, most of us are in the same boat where we often feel overwhelmed with all the things we need to get done every single day of the week. But have you stopped to really examine why you don’t have time to exercise? Think about it: A decent workout should only take 30-60 minutes per day a few days a week. That’s just 2-4% of your day. You have time to work out.
Where’s the time?
I’m as guilty as anyone else. It’s just so easy to get sucked into activities that make you feel like you’re doing something when you’re really not being productive. That’s not to say that downtime is bad. In today’s world, time to recharge is a necessity, but the fact is, you can’t use lack of time as an excuse not to exercise. So, where are you spending all this time you could be using for something better? Here are just a few time suckers:
Social Media
According to Social Media Today, it’s estimated that the average person spends nearly two hours on social media per day. Two hours! And that doesn’t take COVID-19 stay-at-home orders into account, so it’s safe to say many people have been spending much more time on social medial than that lately.
Television
Many people think TV viewing has gone down, but when you factor in Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube Premium, DVR recordings, etc., there’s still plenty of time spent in front of “the tube.” According to Business Insider, daily TV viewing averages up to around five hours per day, or nearly 35 hours per week. That’s practically a full-time job’s worth of TV watching, especially if you combine TV viewing and social media browsing.
Sleeping In
If you use the snooze button every morning, stop! We all like to get a little extra shut-eye on the weekends, but let’s not fool ourselves, if you set an alarm for 30 minutes before you have to wake up during the week — and skip the snooze, you can squeeze in a brief but productive workout.
Problem Solved!
Unless all you do is sleep and work, you have time to exercise. In almost all circumstances, it’s just a matter of prioritizing your time. If you unwind at the end of the day by catching up on social media, reduce that time in half and your problem is solved. And if you’re doing cardio work on a treadmill or stationary bike, you can do both at the same time.
The same goes for your TV viewing. Plus, you’re most likely watching shows on a streaming service, so just shift your viewing time around to fit a workout into your schedule.
Even just 30 minutes can do the trick. Once it becomes a habit after a week or two, it won’t be a struggle anymore. Plus, you’ll find out that getting a jump start on the day with a healthy exercise program will actually give you more energy throughout the day. Win-win!
Reducing your time spent on social media or in front of a television can add to your overall quality of life, too, so there are more health benefits than just the exercise.
Whether it’s indoors, outdoors, cardiovascular, weights, CrossFit, or any other form of exercise, just know that you do have the time to take care of your health, you just have to make it work for you rather than making excuses.
NOTE: If you’re looking for efficient and productive weight-training workouts for potent muscle building or serious fat burning, check out the X Rep shop. If you don’t have weights or a gym membership but want a highly effective bodyweight workout, check out Bodweight M.A.S.S.
