Life Too Busy to Work Out?

One way some folks "guilt" trip a person into exercising is by saying, "Hey, all you need is 3 or 4 hours out of 168 hours in a week to get fit or big or strong or sexy beyond understanding. And hey, if you can't give 2.4% of your time to your health, how serious are you?" Why does it seem to be not so easy?

I am a father of 2 little girls with whom I want to spend most of my waking and free time with. I have a 50 hour a week job that seems to stretch to 60 hours most weeks. I have 2 websites that I enjoy working on (my new hobbies).

And I am trying to reclaim about 6 lost years to Ho-Ho's and Twinkies.

And finding 4 hours a week to exercise is not proving to be a straightforward thing. But I am making progress and here's how:

1. I find the advice to work out consistently at a set time to be not relevant. In a given week, I may work out at 6am one day, 9pm the next time, and 430pm the time after. It is not so much making time to work out, but rather using what time is available to work out. That means being flexible.

2. My work out frequency is to work out every other day. But again, life intrudes and finding those 3 to 4 hours a week is not so easy. So, I have missed a few work outs. Actually, it is no biggie. If I miss a day, then I miss a day. I do not get negative with myself. I am exercising to be stronger and healthier for life, not some arbitrary 90 day deadline.

3. In direct contradiction to the last statement, you do need a goal, but that goal should be long term. For me that should be a year. Think about it - if you want to gain 15lbs of lean muscle while losing 20lbs of fat, what would be more doable; a net gain of 1.5lb a month or 5lb a month? It is the tortoise approach versus the hare.

4. Being flexible should not mean being willy-nilly about it. In line with having a long term goal, you must have intermediate markers to gauge your progress. There are a lot of methods, but a time tested tool is to take pictures of yourself. By taking pictures of yourself at 30 day intervals, you can visually see progress and utilize it as a motivational tool to find that extra hour to work out.

Consider these approaches as you work to balance life, work, and your health. How you balance all your life's goals are not so important, as that you do balance all. And if something falls through the cracks now and then, no biggie. You simply keep your eyes on the big picture and continue on.

About this Author

Looking to gain weight, build muscle, and increase your strength, head over to http://www.smartweightgain.com and check out all the great, and free, info/advice there. While you're at it, check out how Hyo looks after two months with Bodylastics Good for a laugh, if nothing else.

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