Please enjoy the latest in a new article series from the Franchise himself currently running as a blog on Broadwayworld.com.
There’s a lot of debate about the “best” way to workout. But at the end of the day, we can all agree that doing something is better than nothing. But for some of us, a crazy schedule makes even this a challenge. How do we find time to workout when our lives are already packed to the brim?
Sometimes we are able to squirrel away a bit of time, but find we’re exhausted. We also know that recovery is a big part of the equation, and that rest matters too. So what should one do when choosing between getting enough sleep and working out?
These questions are related, but are distinct enough to warrant separate answers.
The first piece is actually “relatively” simple, if not easy. We have to prioritize visits to the gym. Exactly how we do this will depend on one’s life and demands. For instance, a busy career is a different challenge than a newborn challenge. Ideally, we schedule in our workouts and treat it like we would any commitment. It’s very easy to justify skipping a workout because of issues that seem more pressing. Unfortunately, over the long haul, this may catch up with us.
Since I’m a fan of fitness pragmatism (I just made that term up, but I like it!!), the solution may be accepting only two or three workouts a week. While it may not lead to the fastest possible fat loss results, this is plenty sufficient to capture most of the health benefits. While lifting weights is a great foundation for your training, you can definitely see results by getting to the gym even once a week. If you supplement this with short, vigorous, full body workouts you can do from anywhere (like MyBroadwayBody.com) once or twice a week, you’ll be well on your way!
Being tired however, requires a bit more unpacking. Certainly insuring you’re getting enough sleep in the first place is the first step. This may require more discipline about heading to bed earlier. Additionally, adopting a pre-bed ritual to help prep your body for bed will likely be important (turning off electronics an hour before bed is a great tactic here). If you’re finding you’re still too tired to effectively use the time available to exercise, consider seeing a specialist to address your sleep quality.
Ideally, a regular workout regime should offer a return on your time investment. You should actually have more energy if you’re training on a regular basis, which means getting more done with less time (and in a better mood to boot!).
Want to learn more? Click here to get our free report, The 5 Most Common Fitness Mistakes Performers Make. (HINT: Many of these apply to non-performers too!)