Have you ever thought, “why yes, I’m sure I can handle all of those things in my life all at once“…and then you can’t? And then something has to give. Well, that happened to me. Joy Fit Mom had to go for a bit so I could manage the other small circuses in my life.
But I’m back!! We got lots of feedback after the 21 Day Facebook Challenge about you lovelies wanting more exercise stuff, specifically, exercise for when you have NO time!!
Man, do I understand this! The truth is that we will make time for things that are important to us but making exercise a priority is much easier said than done!
No Time?
My experience has been that when I’ve said I have “no time” to exercise, the real reason was that I didn’t want to:
😜 Be seen in shorts
😓 Get sweaty
🤔 Have to shower later
🙄 Ruin my fresh shower
😒 “Feel the burn”-it’s uncomfortable
😫 Fail/fall short/have to quit
😬 Leave my house a mess to exercise
😕 Get behind on my work
😴 Miss this quiet time that I could just sit
😥 Leave my kids/my baby
🤪 Bring or involve my kids, they are crazy (lol)
Some of those “I don’t want to’s” are totally legit and depending on your season in life, would definitely outweigh exercise! But some of them are purely excuses (you might even have some you could add to that list) and you have to have a serious talk with yourself about which are which.
Girl, I’m not trying to be the Debbie Downer, I’m just being very real, you have to stop excuses and start moving! Replace the reasons you can’t with your reasons why you need to exercise.
Write your reasons out! Post them where you can see them! I know you can do it, friend!
But really. No Time?
But let’s just say, hypothetically, you read those paragraphs above and thought “that’s not me, I really do NOT have ANY time!” Ok, that’s cool, here are what I call Survival Mode Exercises you can work into your day to day life:
Heel Raises (going up on toes)
Do these while: brushing teeth, doing dishes at the sink, standing in line at Walmart (go ahead, let them judge the bouncing lady, not your problem! )
Chair Tap Squats
Before you sit, squat down and tap your chair with your bum and then stand completely up and repeat. Make sure your knees don’t come together as you go down or up.
Laundry Side Lunge
As you’re going from the washer to the dryer, shift your weight to the right and squat slightly with your weight through your right heel. (Check out the free Top 5 Exercise download for proper lunge form.) Then repeat to the other side before grabbing the next handful of wet clothes. Continue, alternating sides.
Coffee Pot Stretch
While you’re waiting for the coffee to brew, get on your hands and knees then push up so that both arms and legs are straight. You don’t have to make the end position happen all at once. You can do arms first or the legs first. (Just think “down dog” yoga position.) Concentrate on bringing your belly button towards your spine and pushing your heels toward the floor. Walk your feet towards your hands for a greater stretch (just tiny steps). Take 5 deep breaths in through your nose and out through your mouth. Repeat up to 5 more times, coming back to the start position before each one.
Countertop Push-Ups
Dinner prep is a great time for these. Just place hands on the edge of the counter. Keep back straight as a board with belly button pulled in toward the spine. Then lower yourself toward the counter. Push back to the start position. Repeat.
How many?
I give my patients exercises with 1-3 sets of 10-20 reps, so think 10-60 (max) times with each of these. Either do them all at once or spread out them throughout the day. If you don’t like to count, do each one for 30-60 seconds or whatever you can fit in. Just remember:
Something is always better than nothing!
Hope this helps all of you trying to squeeze exercise into a busy schedule!
Nutrition is also super important! We will go into more detail soon! In the meantime be sure to check out the Top 5 Meals, Healthy Breakfasts and Super Salad Fixin’s downloads for lots of healthy food options! (If you are already a Joy Fit Mom subscriber, be sure to check your email for the download link!)
Fitting exercise in can be tricky, but just 10-15 minutes a day will still give you a boost of energy and will lead to greater things…possibly even a priority change in your life! Remember that all tough things need prayer:
“Keep watch and pray, so that you will not fall into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Matthew 28:44
Hugs!
Kelly
Illustration credit: VectorMine, Dreamstime.com
