When Is the Best Time to Work Out?
Are you wondering when is the best time to work out? This is usually a New Year’s Resolutions question. Folks ask this at the beginning of the year, then attempt to make a lot of changes at once, and then they fail. But if you’re asking this question at a different time of year, then you must be serious about implementing an exercise routine!
You can research until the cows come home, but there is no perfect best time to work out that fits every single person on this planet. If you’re not into planetary alignment or circadian rhythms, there are sleeping patterns, work schedules and kids’ schedules to factor in. But if you truly want to improve your health and achieve a better quality of life, there are ways to find time to add exercise to your routine.
Consider these ways to choose your best time to work out:
*Add it to your routine. Do you have any down time in the morning, at lunch or in the evening? If you don’t have anything scheduled at one of these particular times, would you consider scheduling exercise into one of those slots?
*Replace an activity. Let’s say your schedule is pretty darn packed. If it’s so full that you can’t fit anything else in, that means you’ll need to decide what activity you’d like to drop. Is there something that you’re currently committed to that you no longer love doing? Is there an activity that no longer feeds your soul or improves your health or is required by court order? Drop that activity and replace it with exercise.
*Ghost task while working out. Ghost tasking is a term that I explain in detail in my book, The Inefficiency Assassin. Is there something that you currently do that is pretty mindless, and you could actually walk on a treadmill or move around a room while that activity is happening? For instance, when you’re in the kitchen cooking, could you work in some aerobic moves around your kitchen? When you’re cleaning, can you dance around the house? While you’re watching your favorite show or sports team, can you pace around the room? While you’re trolling social media, could you be walking on a treadmill? Are you allowed to walk around during meetings? While you wait for your kids at practice, can you exercise?
*Sneak in walking. You’d be surprised where you can sneak in extra movement. You can park in the last parking space everywhere you go. (You’ll save time and gas, too, not cruising around looking for a space!). You can take the stairs instead of the elevator. You can walk to a nearby lunch spot instead of drive. When you go grocery shopping, you can walk up and down every aisle instead of hopping around. Where else can you be sneaky in order to find the best time to work out?
*Readjust your schedule. Can you flip flop activities so that exercising at home or at a gym becomes more convenient? For instance, if you leave work at 5:00 and sit in traffic for 90 minutes during rush hour (instead of the normal 60), you’d get home at 6:30. But what if you leave work at 5:00 and either go for a walk or work out at a nearby gym? A simple 30-minute workout is a major boost for your health! You can leave when traffic dies down and still get home at the same time. What time leaks do you have in your day that could instead be filled with exercise?
Those were a few ideas to consider when trying to find the best time to work out. Remember, the best time to work out is the time that you schedule it!
Next week, we’ll take a look at creating time for a training schedule or specific exercise goal.