6 How to Make Fitness a Priority Even With a Busy Schedule
Struggling to find the time for fitness? This article gathers insights from a Personal Trainer and a Founder to help you make fitness a priority. From focusing on building the habit to integrating fitness into daily activities, discover six expert tips. Read on to explore these practical strategies and more.
- Focus on Building the Habit
- Treat Fitness Like a Meeting
- Link Fitness to Career Goals
- Add Sociability to Your Workouts
- Schedule Fitness Like an Important Task
- Integrate Fitness into Daily Activities
Focus on Building the Habit
If you're struggling to find time for fitness, my advice is to focus on building the habit first and keeping it simple. Start small with just 10-15 minutes a day, and tie it to something you already do, like exercising during your lunch break or while watching TV and scrolling on your phone. This technique, called habit stacking, helps make fitness a natural part of your routine rather than something extra you have to remember. Most importantly, shift your mindset from "I don't have time" to "How can I make time?" When you view fitness as a non-negotiable part of your day—just like eating or sleeping—it becomes less about finding time and more about prioritizing yourself within your existing routine.
Treat Fitness Like a Meeting
Making Fitness a Priority in a Busy Entrepreneurial Life
One piece of advice I'd give to anyone struggling to make time for fitness is to treat it like any other important meeting in your schedule. Early in my career, as I was building my legal process outsourcing company, I let work consume nearly every waking moment, and fitness fell by the wayside.
But I quickly realized the toll it was taking on my energy and focus. I decided to experiment with setting a dedicated time for workouts, just as I would for client calls or strategy sessions.
There was one particular period when I scheduled a daily 30-minute workout during my lunch break; initially, I thought I'd be sacrificing productivity, but instead, I noticed I returned to my desk more focused and energized.
Over time, it became a habit, and it's now a non-negotiable part of my day. My advice would be to start with a small, consistent time slot, even if it's just 15 minutes, and stick to it as if it were a business commitment—you'll be surprised at the difference it can make.
Link Fitness to Career Goals
As a physician assistant, I know very well the importance of exercise. But as a small-business owner, I'm still tempted to skip the gym when work obligations arise. It's easy to tell myself I'll do it later, but too often, later never comes. Career goals feel pressing and immediate; fitness seems more like a lifetime achievement.
Changing my mindset and linking these two aims helps keep me motivated. It's not an either/or proposition. Rather, staying fit keeps me alert and on task during the day, making it more likely I'll land that new contract or network effectively. A few days without cardio leaves me feeling fatigued and prone to mistakes.
So, stop thinking about exercise as your adversary, and instead, think about it as an integral part of your other goals.
Add Sociability to Your Workouts
As President of a recruiting firm, I'm often stretched thin. Because of my heavy workload, I used to find it hard to mentally remain present in my workout. My mind would invariably drift back to work, especially during busy seasons.
Adding friends and family to my exercise routine renewed my vigor. Whenever possible, I'm doing a group class or playing a game with my grandkids instead of simply running on the treadmill. Making it a shared activity keeps my mind from wandering.
So, if you're having trouble sticking to a fitness routine, it might be because you're tackling it alone. Join a team or get your partner to come with you. Adding in sociability keeps you living in the moment, instead of thinking of all the other things you have to do.
Schedule Fitness Like an Important Task
Finding time for fitness can feel impossible when life is busy, but I've learned that small changes can make a big difference. I started with just 20 minutes a day, whether it was a quick home workout or a short walk. Those 20 minutes became my way to recharge and clear my mind.
The trick is to schedule fitness like you would any important task. I treat it as a meeting with myself—something I can't skip. I also stopped waiting for the "perfect time" and began fitting movement into my day. Sometimes it's stretching during lunch or doing quick exercises while watching TV.
When you make fitness a habit, it stops feeling like a chore. Start small, stick with it, and you'll see how easy it is to make time for yourself.
Integrate Fitness into Daily Activities
Think about physical fitness, like mental, emotional, and financial fitness, as integral to your health and quality of life rather than one more "should" in the long to-do list of life. Begin to shift some of your activities to include fitness. For example, meet friends for a walk or a yoga class rather than lunch or happy hour. Park and walk the long way to a store or business meeting. And walk faster—the increased pace is good for heart health. Do counter push-ups, squats, or stretch while waiting for water to boil or food on the stove or oven to finish cooking. Commit to five minutes a day to do two one-minute planks and two one-minute wall squats. When you add physical activity to what you already do, you'll be surprised how quickly your body will respond and maybe even want more!