8 Ways to Fit Fitness Into Your Crazy Schedule By Chrissy Carroll

If you struggle to juggle it all, today’s article is for you! Here are 8 easy ways to making fitness a part of your already busy schedule, brought to you by Chrissy Carroll of Snacking in Sneakers. I am already a huge fan of #6 and plan on incorporating #7 into my schedule too.

xo, Katelynn

Contributor_ Chrissy Carroll

Whether you’re a very experienced triathlete trying to amp up your training, or you’re new to the gym scene and you’re trying to get in a routine – finding time to fit fitness into a busy schedule can be tough. These days it seems we’ve all got a crazy number of commitments. Think work, kids, relationships, hobbies, keeping the house in order, training…it can be a lot to juggle.

I’ve got 8 tips for you today to help you fit fitness into your crazy routine. None of them are necessarily revolutionary, but I think they’re things we forget about sometimes! Next time you find yourself missing workouts or saying “I just don’t have the time”, try using one of these strategies…

1. USE TIME-BASED WORKOUTS.

If you’re feeling crunched for time, add in some time based workouts – like an hour run – versus a distance-based workout. This will help you more effectively plan them into your schedule because you know exactly how long you’ll be out there.

Note the word “plan.” I recommend looking at your schedule for the week and writing in exactly when you will be completing your workouts or training. Make them a priority just like any other important commitment.

2. ADD EQUIPMENT TO YOUR HOUSE.

I’m not talking massive home gym systems here. If you add a few select pieces of training gear to your home, it makes it way easier to get in those workouts on crappy weather days (ya know, like half of winter will probably be in New England). For triathletes, a bike trainer is probably the best piece of gear you can grab. If you don’t already have one, I highly recommend it. While most of us can brave some snowy runs, cycling in the winter is a different story. The trainer is key.

Not an athlete training for anything? If you’re just looking to work on overall fitness, consider a few dumbbells or resistance bands and maybe a few fitness DVDs. These simple, inexpensive pieces of gear can help you fit in a workout at home in a time-crunched schedule.

3. TRY LUNCH TIME WORKOUTS.

This is overlooked by many athletes. But if you have an hour long lunch break, you can easily fit in 30-40 minutes of training and still leave yourself 20-30 minutes to eat. When I used to teach (my first job in the nutrition world was teaching nutrition in elementary schools), I would go out for quick runs on my lunch break. During cooler weather, you don’t get seriously sweaty and some shower wipes work magic. {Side note – can being sweaty just be socially acceptable at this point? I feel like we’d all be way more apt to work out more.}

4. FIND A WORKOUT BUDDY.

I don’t know about you, but when my schedule is busy – there is always something that needs to get done. It’s easy to sometimes push training aside if I feel there’s a bigger priority for work. And that’s not a good thing. When I struggle with this, I like to schedule training sessions with a partner. Having someone else that’s expecting me makes it far less likely that I’ll re-prioritize the schedule that day.

5. SIGN UP FOR A WINTER CHALLENGE OR VIRTUAL RACE.

It can be tough to find races mid-winter in the Northeast, but right now a lot of running stores will host “winter warrior” challenges where you run outside every day during January or February. I’m committed to the Marathon Sports one for January, and they even host some group runs at their stores. It’s a great way to encourage (force?) yourself to stay committed during the cold days and get that outdoor running in.

If you can’t find a challenge like this or a local road race, consider signing up for a virtual race. Some of them have great swag and most support good causes.

6. THE EARLY BIRD GETS THE WORM.

Or in this case, the workout. As much as you might not like hearing the alarm go off when it’s still dark, this is a great way of ensuring you meet your fitness goals. You’ll get your workout done before the stresses of the day have a chance to derail you. And bonus – kicking off the day like this often results in a positive attitude and sense of accomplishment throughout the rest of the day.

7. ANALYZE YOUR DAILY SCHEDULE.

Think there’s no way to fit even a 30 minute workout into a packed schedule? Try recording everything you do for a few days. Carry around a little notebook or log on your phone everytime you switch tasks and start something new. It may seem like you’re crazy busy, but perhaps you didn’t realize you were browsing around online for 25 minutes mid-afternoon. (I can tell you that social media is a HUGE time suck for me and I’m working on it this year!). Or perhaps it took a while to prep dinner because you didn’t plan ahead – in which case, some simple meal planning and prep could save you enough time to squeeze in some exercise.

8. HIRE A COACH OR TRAINER.

And I’m not saying this because I just passed my USAT Level 1 exam recently, so I’m now both a certified trainer and an official tri coach. 😉 For real though, there are a ton of great coaches out there and investing the money in one is a great gift to yourself. You’re not just getting a training plan, you’re getting accountability and motivation more than anything.