"I Don't Have Time" | Part 1 - How To Train On A Busy Schedule

When it comes to training and eating well for the goal of enhancing the quality of life, “I don’t have time” is the most common excuse people tell themselves.
 
Even if you suggest convincingly illustrate the how the benefits of an optimized training and nutrition plan outweigh the time invested, people will likely hold onto the belief and defend how busy they are.
  
In this article, we are going to give you actionable tips on how you can integrate a healthy lifestyle into a busy schedule.
 
Why Should You Do This? 
Well, quite frankly your success in every aspect of life is primarily based on your physical, emotional and mental wellbeing.
 
In the modern-day lifestyle where even at work people typically sit for long periods of time you get robbed of quality movement while simultaneously having access to a load of junk food.
 
In a sense, being fit and even muscular is something completely natural. Nowadays however the industrial society has imposed upon us unnatural living patterns, thus making fitness & wellbeing “someday goals” for most people. However, they can not be someday goals. Your body is a community of cells that you govern and nurture through what you eat, and what you do. Your body doesn't know your busy, it simply responds to what you do and what you eat. 

Now let’s talk about training and possible ways to integrate a healthier lifestyle into a busy schedule (yes, even if you work 12 hr shifts.)

How To Train Efficiently
For most people, it feels like forever to get to the gym, warm-up, do the workout, get back home, shower & eat.
 
And the truth is, all of this can be quite time consuming so your best bet is to optimize the whole process.
 
Here are some tips which you can use today:

1. Find a local gym that is 10-15 minutes away from your home/workplace
2. If you have basic home equipment, and access to a workout use it instead
3. Train 20-30 minutes every day, rather than 3 hours at once every 2-3 days
4. Do short, intense workouts to save on time and still reap benefits
5. Become aware of time gaps that may exist in your day

 
One question still stands though - What is the best time to workout? Lets take a look at each time of time.

Training in the morning
Upon waking up, your body is fasted, meaning that your glycogen (usable energy stored in the muscle) levels are lower than usual and therefore, your strength performance may be suboptimal. However unless your a professional athlete or bodybuilder it won't matter. The most suboptimal workout is the one never done. Additionally, training in the morning is a good way to kickstart your day, as it will give you tons of energy and boost your mood (especially after your breakfast afterwards).
 
Training in the afternoon
As you wake up and get into your day, more and more sunlight passes through your eyes. That sunlight signals the pineal gland to secrete serotonin, which is a daytime neurotransmitter which makes you feel more awake, alert & gives you the energy and mood for your daily activities.
 
So, you see, your body is fine-tuned to the sun and the earth’s cycle and this is the period when your cardiovascular efficiency, muscular strength and nervous system are the most active. This is generally between 3:00 to 5:00 pm. Not only will you be in sync with the highest biological activity time window of the body, but you’ll also have food in your system and thus, more energy.

Training in the evening
Just like the previous two, training in the evening has its advantages and disadvantages.
 
For instance, workouts after an entire workday can be a massive stress reliever! On top of that, night time is the recovery time for the body, so with an intense workout, you are priming all the recovery mechanisms of your body and it becomes easier to fall asleep.
 
However, if you do your workout too soon before bed, you might disrupt your sleep cycle. So it is recommended to perform training no less than 3-4 hours before bedtime.
 
Conclusion 
Training and eating well should not be someday goals but more so tools that you use to optimize your performance in all aspects of life, as well as your overall living quality.
 
As your health should be your number 1 priority, it is important to consider how you can optimize your training process, so that the benefits would outweigh the time invested.
 
Some best practices are: find a local gym or train at home, do shorter workouts but workout more frequently and be aware of time gaps or down time used on things like tv, social media etc,
   
In part two of this article series, we are going to tell you more about nutrition on a busy schedule and how you can actually spend less time & money to eat healthier and better.
 
See you there!