Fitting Physical Activity into Your Daily Routine

Trying to get any amount of physical activity in every day is a mental workout in itself. Take work and everything in between, and few hours are left in the day for exercising, much less relaxing downtime. The most important thing to remember, however, is avoiding the excuse of having no time. With these great tips, you'll be surprised on how many minutes of physical activity you can easily fit in throughout the day.

Cut Down on Distractions

Social media, Netflix, Pinterest are all great ways to stay in touch, unwind or find new ideas, but social media and tv watching are among the top time-wasters and can be a huge hindrance to time management. If you can even carve out 30 minutes a day from scrolling Twitter or binging on Hulu, that's a whole 30 minutes you can devote to physical exercise, and getting just a half hour of extra physical activity each day can have noticeable benefits to your wellbeing.

Make a Plan You Can Stick to

Planning ahead of time gives a chance to look at your daily schedule, cut down on time-wasters and makes it easier to find the best times throughout the day or week to work out. One way to make it work is to be prepared- take a jacket and extra warm clothes in the winter or a tank top in the summer to work for a walk at lunchtime. In the morning, always be sure to have your gym bag packed for an after-work visit to the gym. If you make a plan, you are much more likely to go through with the goal of working out that day.

Having a plan ahead of time also makes working out seem like less of a hassle, so less excuses validated in your mind to skip the day's workout. Making a plan makes it so much more likely you'll accomplish a goal, and you'll watch as your success rate of getting exercise continues to increase day by day.

Stay on Schedule

Now that you have a plan in place, start scheduling workouts. Fill in your calendar on Outlook, set reminders on your phone, make reservations to workout classes... Doing all these things will help you feel committed and very less likely to back out of exercise plans.

Place importance on your exercise time. Put as much priority on it as a doctor's appointment or important meeting. This really helps to not allow competing priorities to win over each other.

We all run on schedules our whole life, it's what gets us through each day. Having activities planned and scheduled makes it more likely you'll keep that schedule. Your mind will appreciate the stress relief from trying to squeeze in exercise here and there and your body will feel physically better from the extra activity it gets.

Split Up Workouts

A great goal is to fit in 30 minutes of physical activity, 5 days a week. These 30 minutes do not even have to be consecutive- split it up into two two 15 minutes or even three 10 minute quick sessions throughout the day. Many think that you get better results with the more time spent working out, but that is a misconception. It doesn't matter how short or long a session is, a workout is a workout. The key is to increase your hear rate and should be the main goal with these exercise sessions.

Just find the time during the day for a quick brisk walk, lifting weights at your desk or jumping rope for several minutes, and you'll be surprised at how much you benefit from this extra physical activity each day.

Properly Fuel Your Body

Apart from being consistent in exercising, a balanced diet with proper nutrition is so vital for good results. Good, nutritious food is key to fueling your body, as well as working alongside physical activity to improve your wellbeing inside and out.

Find nutrition plans and set goals that work for you. It's also important to enjoy the food you eat, so find creative ways to eat healthy foods that also taste great. Having the proper fuel for your body will allow you to get the most out of exercises and help to build a stronger, healthier you.

Protein and yes, even carbs are great sources of fuel for physical activity, and you seek them out in the healthy foods you choose. We all need some carbs, and especially if you are burning them through working out.

Stay Motivated and Keep Moving

Finally, being motivated is important for staying consistent with workout plans and staying active in the long run. Finding intrinsic motivation is just as crucial for keeping a good workout regime as being consistent and eating well.

When you start to be faced with distractions or time-wasters and excuses for skipping exercise start to creep in, shift your thinking and immediately focus on what benefits you gain from working out and how great you'll feel after you've done it.

Avoid regret by sticking to an exercise plan, doing it and finishing it out. Keep pushing yourself, even when doubt and excuses cloud your mind. Of course, take breaks when needed, though.

Take these tips for making more time for physical activity and staying consistent and hopefully you will be so satisfied with the version of yourself you create, not only physically, but mentally, too.