Six tips to help you find time to exercise in 2020
Life is hectic. Whether you’re a stay at home mum, a working mum, or running your own business, it’s often hard to find time for yourself – and making time for exercise can feel like a chore.
But with exercise having far-reaching benefits beyond just physical health, even gentle exercise, it’s important to incorporate it into your lifestyle. Getting the body moving is known to improve mental health, metabolism, the skin, and can even have a knock-on effect on productivity.
Finding a few moments for yourself, and self-care, each week is equally important for your general wellbeing. Exercise can be a shortcut to this – workouts can be a way to focus solely on yourself and your body, having a mind-cleansing effect.
Find a way to work out that works for you
Busy working mum and one of the UK’s best-known TV personalities Emma Willis agrees. Launching her debut sportswear collection with Next (now available here) caused her to reflect on her approach to health and fitness:
“I start with being realistic, by looking at fitness week by week… so I don’t get stressed out by not doing as much every week as I’d like to. Finding time for yourself every week is so important – that time for me is when I train.”
So how do we make time for fitness? With 2020 just ahead, we’ve looked at the best – and realistic – ways to carve out a little time for yourself, to support both physical and mental wellbeing.
Most importantly, find out what works for you; this is different for every woman. There’s nothing wrong with starting small – simply putting on gym gear and stepping out for a walk might represent a significant achievement, and if so then this should be celebrated.
Knowing what exercise suits you will make you more likely to keep it as part of your lifestyle, with all the associated benefits.
Six tips to help you find time to exercise in 2020
Here are six tips to help you find time to exercise in 2020.
1) Identify a type of exercise you enjoy
Find something you like doing – or at least that you don’t hate. It doesn’t matter whether it’s as gentle as walking/stretching or something more intensive. Sports with gaming or creative elements (like football or dance) are another route to enjoying movement.
2) Do it daily
Bring gentle exercise into your daily routine. Walk up stairs more, get off a bus one stop earlier, cycle to work, go for a 30-minute walk at lunch.
3) Do it for the right reasons
It’s not about how you look, but about how you feel and your overall health. “I’m not doing it to lose weight or look amazing, but to stay strong and stay able as I get older,” agrees Emma Willis.
4) Find the right time
Find one morning or evening when you can have an hour to yourself for exercise. This might mean negotiation/agreeing time in exchange with another adult, but it’s important that everyone has a little bit of time to themselves.
5) Think beyond the gym
Remember that you don’t need a gym to exercise. Look at what is local to you – parks, community centres and even schools will have exercise classes on offer
6) Get support
Enlist support from friends, family or colleagues. If you commit to working out with someone, or asking for their help to make sure you do (to leave work on time, watch the kids, etc). This will make you more likely to see the commitment through.
And if new workout gear helps to provide a little persuasion, check out Emma’s new range with Next. Everything comes in sizes 6-22 (or XS-XXL), and is made with high-performing sweat wicking material to support all sorts of workouts.
