Comments on: How to Fit Exercise Into Your Busy Schedule

on 3/7/2008 Wake up 1 hour earlier and workout at home or at the gym. It's hard, but you get your exercise done for the day. I get up at 5am on most days (it's not easy as I'm not a morning person), and exercise on my treadmill. I do this, shower & get ready for work before I wake my son for school. No one is going to distract me at 5am so it's good to get it done while everyone else is asleep.

on 3/7/2008 I'm not a morning person, but I try to get up at 5am and use my treadmill. Getting up is never easy, but once I get started I feel good that I did it and my exercise for the day is out of the way. Then I shower & get ready for work before waking up my kids for school, and we all leave at 7:55. Sometimes I stay up too late and start slacking, but then I get my motivation back. 5am exercise is the only time I am guaranteed peace & quiet, time for myself, so I try to take advantage of that.

on 8/8/2006 Wherever you go, keep small snacks in baggies with you which you can munch on...it will help you out of the trap of eating what you're not supposed to eat.

on 3/20/2006 I've found that this works to keep a healthy metabolism (I've had the same weight 21 years). 15-30 minutes in the morning, some crunches while standing at lunch, and 15-30 minutes after work. This also helps to keep a constant fitness state of mind, which I always suggest to people who say things like "I need to lose my stomach". No, please, don't think about your stomach, thighs, or waist, focus on being in a fit state of mind. The rest always follows.

on 11/22/2005 If you have kids, you have a busy schedule and added stress. I have four children and manage by exercising with them. I go to a nearby school track every morning in the summer. I have them run or bike around the track and get their hearts pumping, then they play on the playground while a friend and I power walk and get some adult conversation in. If you do a workout DVD at home, and are dancing or doing Pilates, often curious children will join in and it's so fun! All this helps us keep attitudes positive and gets some happy endorphins going in their little bodies. If I exercise in the morning, I also have more energy for the house and to help them fulfill the things they love to do.

on 11/22/2005 I'm a diabetic, and I knew that things in my life had to change when my blood sugar began getting way out of hand. My blood sugar level was anywhere from 390 to 490 in the mornings...before breakfast. My doctor slapped my face and told me to get cracking...but I just didn't have the time.

I had to change my way of thinking. Things in my life were reversed: I didn't have time to exercise and workout because I had other obligations. I just bought a new home and had to get walls painted, pictures hung, grass seed planted. I have a job. I take work home. There was always excuses.

I changed my life and made everything work around my fitness goals. I wanted to lose 75 pounds. I wanted to get my blood sugar back to normal. I wanted to do some kind of exercise every day. I had to change.

Today, if it means that I'll have to cut some of my exercise time down in order to take work home...I'll leave my work at the office. Sometimes I can't fix dinner and exercise at the same time...so I eat out and have time to exercise. I make fitness the priority in my life today. I've lost 35 pounds, and my blood sugar is right around 90 in the morning. I lift weights, jog, ride my bike, hike, and do aerobics. I've even converted the spare bedroom into a home gym.

Fitness and exercise in my life had to rank right up there with taxes, my job, and other things that I consider important enough not to skip every day.

on 11/22/2005 This is for toning. While reading any long list, tense and release the muscles of your stomach, bum and thighs.

on 11/22/2005 While going about your daily routine, contract your abdominal muscles. You'll find that this helps a lot with posture as well as toning. Also, drink plenty of water. This little change will do your body a world of good. Take charge.

on 11/22/2005 I work some exercise into my shopping.
I park some distance away from the store or when I go to the mall I walk one end to another.
I try bending and stretching in the kitchen. I find working some kind of routine into my daily life works for me instead of regularly scheduled times.
Joyce Bryan

on 11/22/2005 Keep a journal or log of your activity. This aides in helping you see where you could add more or change something that has been ineffective. It also helps to see what you've done and where you've been.

on 11/22/2005 STAND UP AND ROTATE synovial fluids - (lubricating fluids) around each of the joints by rotating wrists round and round 10 times - then the other way; rotate ankles; hips - (with hands on hips); fingertips on shoulders and move elbows forwards, upwards and back - then other way. Rotate head by 'drawing a circle with your nose'.

on 11/22/2005 When you talk on the phone, you waste a lot of time. Call your friend and have them meet you for a walk, so you can talk then. It helps pass the time faster, too. If they're too far away to walk with, do sit-ups or other exercises while chatting. Make it fun!

on 11/22/2005 When you have the choice between stairs and an elevator or just some extra time, use the stairs. It's FREE and normally not out of your way!

on 11/22/2005 If you're near a college or university (big or small) check out the pysical education centers they have. When I attended college at KSU they had (and still have)an awesome facility open 24 hrs that has about everything anyone could ask for.

on 11/22/2005 Need milk? Walk to the store.
Don't have time to see your friends AND exercise? Make a date to go for a hike, go for a swim, or attend an aerobics class together. Need to spend quality time with the kids? Go roller blading or skiing with them.