Busy Mom’s Secret to Making Time for Workouts: Manage Energy, Not Time
No Time to workout? Too Busy?
What about all those Time Management strategies? You’ve tried carefully organizing your fitness goals, scheduling your workouts and listing out the priorities of your day all with the goal of getting more done in a shorter amount of time. So why does your workout keep getting put off?
The secret lies in managing your ENERGY rather than simply your time. Time is a finite resource yet we try to manage it every day. We only end up frustrated because we cannot get more done in less time. Energy on the other hand is something you can manage. It can be extended and renewed on a daily basis.
You know when you are feeling enthusiastic, you are more motivated to not only get more done, but to focus on the tasks that produce more energy - like fitting in your workout. When you are feeling blah or just tired, you come up with a handful of excuses not to workout or you attempt to get it in but don’t put your best efforts into it.
We all have different levels of energy at different times of the day. Most Busy Moms would say they definitely are or are not a morning person–there’s not usually much gray area in the morning department. As for night owls, the more energy they have after the sun goes down to get things done, the better.
So when it comes to managing your energy, start by paying attention to your energy patterns throughout the day.
Match your Energy to the Task
From here, schedule high energy tasks to the part of the day that you work best.
~ Use high energy peaks for your most challenging tasks - your workouts, meal planning/preparation, playing with your children, etc.
~ Use low energy valleys for routine tasks such as writing in your journal, doing laundry, taking inventory of the food in your pantry, etc.
Throughout the day, ask yourself: "What’s the best use of my time and energy right now?"
Bottom line, when you find yourself saying….I just don’t have the time to workout - know that time isn’t really the problem. No one else has any more than you.
Making use of your peak energy times will make the challenging task of "finding the time to workout" not only easier to accomplish, but the successful completion of each one will only lead to an upward spiral of more, good feeling energy.
Combine these Energy Management Skills with the short burst exercises in the Fit Yummy Mummy Workout Plan and get fit in just 90 minutes a week!
Holly Rigsby America’s #1 Busy Mom Fat Loss Expert, ACE certified personal trainer, author of FitYummyMummy.com Her favorite Prograde product is Prograde Longevity. A 16 Week Lifestyle System for Busy Moms, helping moms burn the baby fat and get their body back in just 90 minutes a week. Holly is also founder of ClubFYM.com ~ The Support Community where Moms can get connected, feel supported and successfully transform their bodies and their lives.
Download 12 sample meal plans that will help you shed unwanted pounds and feel great.
December 18th, 2008 at 3:24 pm
This is a great guide right here.
I don’t think very many people regularly think about actually managing their energy rather than their time.
You will actually get more done if you do it this way. Not to mention having that feeling of satisfaction because you’ve completed those task that you wouldn’t have normally.
It just makes complete since.
Great post!