Life turned upside-down? No problem!

Here’s how to fit in workouts at home when you have no time!

I recently started writing a blog article on how to fit in workouts when you feel like you have no free time. It was going to be aimed towards stay-at-home moms as well as busy professionals, who were too exhausted to workout before or after work, or didn’t have time in addition to all of their other responsibilities.

Now, however, the world has thrown us a curve-ball and most of us are forced to be at home, and are expected to work a full-time job, home school children (and keep them entertained and occupied) as well as the additional load of cooking, cleaning, etc. On top of that, gyms and workout facilities are shut, so for some of us, our normal escape of leaving the house to exercise has been taken away.

So, how do you fit it all in and not go insane (without potentially murdering your spouse or children) in the process?

The simple answer is that it IS possible, but is NOT necessarily easy. The most important thing to remember is that taking time out for yourself and making yourself a priority is just as important as before. But now, it may take even more effort and planning on your part to fit it in.

In case you need a little encouragement on why to workout, here are some benefits of exercise (in addition to a smaller waistline). These include:

• Boost happiness levels

• Learn to set and achieve goals

• Reduce your risk of heart disease naturally

• Sleep better

• Boost energy

• Increase strength and flexibility

• Improve memory

• Increase self-confidence
  

First, figure out why you want to start exercising and set a goal. Having an end goal will help you stay on track. Breaking your goals down into short, medium and long-term goals is a great way to help quantify your progress

Second, even though you may not be able to workout with them in person, find a friend with similar goals and help keep each other accountable. You can do video workouts together or chat/text when you've completed your workout (I’ve been doing core workouts on Facetime with a friend for the last couple of weeks and it’s been so much fun. We get to work out and catch up at the same time)!

Third, don’t forget to celebrate your achievements - you deserve it!!!

Now, for the tough part - how to you make time to exercise?

I’ve talked to several friends recently who are trying to manage children, schooling, day care, pet care, food prep, cleaning, shopping etc. all while working full-time jobs at home and the consensus is that it feels SO hard to do it all.

That being said, finding the time to fit in shorter workouts may be more realistic to your already hectic schedule. Here are a few ways you can squeeze in a short workout without going insane:

Working from home (with or without kids):

• Wake up 10 minutes early before your family rises to fit in a quick exercise session (and set out your clothes the night before so you're ready to go first thing)

• Sign up for an online workout service such as Beachbody. They offer tons of different types of classes of varying duration for all levels of fitness. (I use Beachbody myself and love it - I’m actually a Beachbody coach, so if you’d more information email me and I can tell you more!)

• Go for a walk during lunch hour, or schedule walking meetings that you can take over the phone

• Stand while working at a your kitchen counter desk or sit on a Swiss ball

• Take a brisk 15-20 minute walk during a break or after work - this can really help you decompress and lower stress levels (you get time to yourself AND fresh air at the same time)

• Do a quick workout while the baby or kids are napping

• Squeeze in a quick workout while dinner is in the over or on the stove (this can include wall squats, burpees or mountain climbers)

• Do a workout after the kids have gone to bed while you're watching TV

• Cleaning the house! Yes, it can be a workout! Make sure you're cleaning briskly and add some crunches in between vacuuming and dusting

Include the kids in your workouts!

• Have a dance party at your house - turn up the music and get moving! (Reminder - you can do this even if you don’t have children)

  • Take the kids outside and run around with them

  • If your kids are still in strollers take them on your daily walk. Instead of leisurely strolling, pick up the pace and break a sweat!

Now that you've found a few extra minutes to get a quick workout in, here are a couple more ways you can exercise inside your house:

• Stair intervals: Jog up and walk down the stairs for 4 minutes, followed by 1 minute of rest and repeat twice

• My quick 10 minute at Home Workout Circuit (see below):
  

Do each exercise for 30 seconds on followed by 15 seconds of rest -After completing one round, take 1 minute of rest and repeat entire circuit (if you have more time, do a third round)

Don’t forget to warm-up and cool-down!

• Mountain Climbers

• Squats *(with Overhead Press)

• Lunges *(with Hammer Curl or Bicep Curl)

• Dips (on a chair or couch)

• Push-ups

• High Knees

• Russian Twists *(hold on to something to make it more difficult)

• Glute Bridges

*optional additional movement

Being at home all day is not easy and it can be very hard to find time to put yourself first and work out. But these tips will help you find ways to squeeze in a few quick workouts that will have fantastic benefits and help to see and feel the results you want. Now, let's get moving!