I know the feeling – you tell yourself today, today is the day I am going to go to that class, do that workout video, go to the gym. When we are in a world with such limited time available – how do you fit exercise into your life? 

Last week I was watching “8 out of 10 cats”when they asked – “What is the number one thing people hate most about the gym?”. Standard things were guessed “gym selfies” “the people” but the answer? ….“Paying for a gym membership and not actually going”…

As a nation we waste THOUSANDS of pounds every year on unused gym memberships. Why? Because we don’t have time and we do not have a strong system to fit exercise into our lives. So I have put six simple steps together to help you over come this. To help you make time for exercise and make it effective.

Step One – Lets flip our view of exercise – positive mental attitude. 

Stop making it a “thing”. When we were young we had a set time for P.E. That time of the week you either loved or loathed. In my opinion school sets you up for your relationship with exercise – you were either naturally good and encouraged or it wasn’t your strength and it was simply a chore or class to get through. Lets also not forget that P.E in school was usually team sports or athletics – variety was definitely not the spice of life.

So it became a “thing” something that you had a set time for to make part of your life and often something you learnt not to look forward to or that you had a subconscious negative attitude towards. So my first tip is begin to see exercise as less of a “means to an end” and a “weightloss – I only do it before summer – thing” and instead look at it as part of your day/life. Think about it positively – put the same importance on it as eating, drinking, working. 

Step Two – It has to be something you enjoy and get satisfaction from. 

When you are looking at it as part of your life it needs to be something you enjoy. You will NOT make time for something that is not fun and does not give you satisfaction. So try different things. Make time to do this and find what is best for you. You may enjoy multiple types of exercise but only certain things will fit into your lifestyle so way them up. What you enjoy and the time available to you. 

Step Three – Make it non-negotiable. 

This is the toughest and yet the best step you can make. You are viewing exercise differently. You have selected something you enjoy now you HAVE to make it non-negotiable. Whether it be the gym, online, classes – they are there and you are going. You will have days when you can think of nothing worse than working out BUT you have to keep going back to that step one. Don’t make it a think – make it simply a positive part of your lifestyle. Think of it as time out for you – time for you to focus. We spend hours and days worrying about and running around after other people – but who is looking after us?! So this is your time – don’t let anyone take that away from you! 

Step Four: Visualise it – feel it – remember it. 

We know how hard it is to find time in our day to get everything done so something I do to help this is visualise it. I literally lie in bed and see myself going through the HIIT workout and doing all of the moves. This prepares me. I also focus on how great I feel after – I of course have the live videos to look back on but why not journal or document the sense of achievement you have after completing a HIIT session or whichever class you go to. That end feeling is closer than you think and the benefits of it most definitely out way not doing it!!

Step Five – Strength in numbers. 

Get a workout buddy – get an accountability partner. They will hold you accountable AND ensure that you show up for classes and workouts. They are invaluable. Find one and keep them close ;-). 

Finally Step Six – Stop making excuses. 

You have time. We all have time. It may mean setting your alarm 30 minutes earlier. It may mean taking yourself off for 30 minutes in the evening. I created the At Home HIIT membership to offer people 20 minute effective workouts to help you with steps 1 – 5. Step six however is up to you.

Look at yourself, your lifestyle and ask the question. Are you prepared to change? Prepared to work hard? Am  you prepared to enjoy exercise? 

If you are….

Well come and join us OR (like step two) – find a class and exercise regime that you love and give it a go! 

Drop your questions and thoughts in the comments…

I would love to know if these steps help you! 

Laura x