# 1 Priority? YOU!

Lots of people say, “I’m going to start getting in shape in January”. Well, here it is February and you still haven’t really gotten into the groove of working out. TIME is the number one reason for not reaching your goals. Today I want to share with you how I find time to workout. I bet your thinking that I workout all day or anytime I want since I’m a personal trainer and fitness instructor. That’s not the case for me and many other fitness professionals. We work long hours too. Most days I start work at 5:45 and don’t get done until 12 or 1 pm only to go straight to school until 7-8:30 pm! Every day is different for me since I’m in grad school, but I usually schedule clients from 5:45- 1 pm and do school work and classes after that. I have to make time to workout too! Here are some tips that keep me on track!

1. Take a look at your entire week.

I live and die by my planner! I write in all my clients, appointments, classes, and meetings. Once I see what my week looks like I start looking for gaps in my schedule. They vary from 30 minutes to 1 hour.

2. Decide how many workouts you want to get in.

You may only find two or three gaps in your schedule. If your lucky you will find gaps everyday! This is where most people need a little pep talk. I usually ask clients to explain their week to me or bring in their schedule so we can find these gaps together. Most people overlook gaps or make an ugly face if I find a gap that’s not the ideal time for them. Do you want to get in shape or do you want to continue complaining about how you don’t have time?…That’s what I thought 🙂

3. Decide what kind of workouts you want to do with the time you have available.

If I only have a 30 minute time frame I will squeeze in a HIIT cardio session. If I have an hour I’m definitely lifting. This depends on my goals and will vary from person to person. I ALWAYS recommend figuring out what you want to do and even writing out your workouts if you can’t remember what you want to do. Nothing is worse than going to the gym and wasting times figuring out what you want to do. Get in and get out.

4. Plan a ” make up time”.

I always have a make up time in case I miss a planned workout. This usually falls on a weekend day for me. Mentally, it’s nice to know you have a plan B in case something comes up.

5. Write it down!

I write myself into my schedule just like I would schedule a client. Once it’s in there it’s a done deal. I’ve committed to making time for myself and I’m prepared for it. If all else fails and I’m really having trouble committing to my workouts I will rely on the good old buddy system. Make plans to workout with a friend. Since you know someone else is relying on you, chances are your going to show up. Even if clients aren’t training with me, I have some of them check in with me and tell me if they did all their workouts. Just the thought of me asking them to report to me usually makes their commitments stronger.

Now get to work 🙂

In Good Health,