7 Effective Ways to Make Time for Exercise & Nutrition

 
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The warm weather is finally here which gives us more opportunity to spend time outside and hang out with friends. Even though there’s so much more to do, you can still make the time for keeping yourself healthy. When life’s already busy, here's how you can make time to eat better and move more often.

1.      Ask yourself ‘Why’

Understanding exactly why you want to eat better and exercise more gives you the motivation to prioritize it over other things.

  • Why do I want to eat healthier and exercise more?

    • Because I want to fit in smaller pants.

  • But why do I want to fit in smaller pants?

    • Because when I’m wearing smaller pants, I’ll look better.

  • But why do I want to look better?

    • Because when I look good, I feel good about myself.

  • But why do I want to feel good about myself?

    • Because when I feel good about myself, I’m more assertive and confident.

  • But why do I want to be more assertive and confident?

    • Because when I’m more assertive and confident, I’m in control, my fears won’t stop me, and I can finally go for my dreams.

 

2.      Identify Your Top Priorities

Think of your time as a jar, which you can fill with a finite number of rocks, pebbles, and sand.

  • Your big rocks represent the stuff that’s most necessary to feel fulfilled in life. They often relate to family, health, and livelihood. (health, earning a living, getting enough sleep, etc.)

  • Your pebbles add extra fun and satisfaction to life but aren’t totally necessary. (hobbies, excelling at work, working on a “passion project,” etc.)

  • Your sand is purely “bonus” activity. It can be enjoyable, but it’s not crucial to your survival or fulfillment. (watching TV, social media, playing video games, going out drinking, etc.)

Everyone’s rocks, pebbles, and sand will look different. But regardless, if you fill your jar with too much sand first, the rocks and pebbles won’t fit.

3.      Keep a Time Diary

Your schedule reflects how you’re prioritizing the activities in your life. Track your day in 15-minute increments for a couple weeks to find out if it’s consistent with your goals and values and then analyze it:

7:00-7:15 Woke up, brushed teeth, washed face

7:15-7:30 Checked Instagram

7:30-7:45 Still on Instagram

7:45-8:00 Made coffee                

 

 

4.      Increase Health & Fitness Activities in 15-Minute Increments

To start to align your schedule with what you want to accomplish, replace low-value activities with high-value ones little by little.

(Example: +15 minutes healthy meal prep / -15 minutes watching TV)

 

 

 

5.      Create Systems That Make Health and Fitness Faster and Easier

With a little extra time and effort up front, you can create an environment that significantly reduces the time needed to eat well and move more.

  • Keep fresh, whole foods in plain sight

  • Reduce or eliminate “treat” foods

  • Establish a morning or weekend routine to prep veggies and protein in bulk

  • Keep berries and greens in the freezer for quick protein shakes

  • Join the gym closest to home or work

  • Keep a packed gym bag in your car or by your front door

 

6.      Put Meal Prep and Movement in Your Calendar

If we waited until we “felt like it”, a lot of important things would get neglected. Schedule it in and stick to it.

 

7.      Review at the End of Each Week

Did you use your time to support health and wellness?

  • YES!

    • Explore what worked and keep doing that.

    • Celebrate! You deserve it.

    • Add 15 more minutes of healthy food prep and movement next week.

  • NO

    • What did you do instead?

    • Review your time diary to see if there are any adjustments you can make to make your time more effective.

As you can see, “being healthy and fit” is like an iceberg. Eating well and working out is only the tip of the iceberg and it’s supported by all the thinking, prioritizing, strategizing, and planning underneath! 

Michael Staudenmayer