Exercising When Time Is Limited

Jonathan Borba via Pexels

This has been an incredibly busy college term for me. My photography class has had me running hither and yon. I have not had time for my boxing classes or regular workouts of any kind. When I do have a spare moment, I am exhausted and the last thing I want to do is a workout.

I am sure many can relate. You’ll have a good workout routine going, and next thing you know, you hit a busy week or month and it becomes less of a priority.

Don’t despair. Disruptions in routine happen. I’m going to share a few tips for how I approach times like this.

First and foremost, have grace for yourself. You are only human. There are going to be times in life when other things take priority over your workout routine. That is okay. It does not mean that you have “fallen off the wagon” or that you failed in any way. It means your priorities that week, month, or however long, have not included your workout routine. Pick it back up when you are able.

Next, here are some simple exercises I perform when life gets busy.

Toe raises: These strengthen your calf muscles. Doing toe raises is an easy habit to build, so I would start with this one. Standing straight with your feet slightly apart, gently stand on tiptoe, then slowly lower yourself until your heel almost touches the floor. Keep a steady rhythm going; three seconds up, three seconds down, or whatever feels natural to you. I like this exercise because I can do it just about anywhere. While brushing my teeth, doing the dishes, or waiting in line, I often find myself doing toe raises. It has become such a habit for me, I often don’t realize I am doing them.

Exercise bands: I like using bands for arm exercises rather than weights because they are much easier to keep handy. There are countless workouts with bands that are easy to do without breaking too much of a sweat. I would bring them to work in my backpack and do some exercises on my lunch break. The two exercises I do most are as follows:

1. Hold the band at chest height with elbows bent, stretch the band as far as you can, and then slowly bring your hands back in.
2. Loop the band over wrists, stretch it as far as you can, and raise your arms above your head, keeping elbows bent. Lower your arms to chest height, and relax your arms.

The first two exercises in this video illustrate what I have described above.

I aim for 10–30 reps with each of these exercises. The bands are very travel friendly and easy to keep in a pocket, purse, or backpack. I even leave one in the shower and do my arm exercises while I am getting ready for the day. That has worked best for me.

Stretching: Stretching is far underrated, but I recommend trying to keep up with stretches as much as you are able. When you do get back to a workout routine, having kept up with your stretches will help mitigate soreness. Choose a couple stretches and set aside one or two minutes to do them. When you do get back into your exercise routine, you’ll be glad you did.

Walking is exercise: As I mentioned, my photography class has had me on my feet a lot this month. I have spent many hours at a time just walking. That is exercise! A walk around the block, or at the mall, or at work—these are all exercise. This is something I often need to remind myself. I think we have a tendency to think exercise only counts if we are intentionally exercising. While I may not have run on the treadmill for half an hour, I did walk around the Cities with my camera for entire afternoons.

Pushups/Planks: Sometimes I roll out of bed and do 10–30 pushups or hold a plank position for 30 seconds before getting in the shower. Any number of pushups is better than zero. Ditto for pushups on your knees, or a 10-second plank.

In all honesty, I do not do all of these every day. In fact I’m lucky if I remember to do one or two of these daily. I still struggle to build these habits. But I am doing my best, and I am sure that you are too. Remember that whatever you are able to do, however much or little, it is better than nothing. It’s all about progress, not perfection.