Fitness Tip #3: Make your Life WORK for You!

More often than not we find ourselves making the excuse that our lives are TOO busy to find time to workout! It is in those moments that we need to think outside the box and find ways to incorporate workouts, or at least activity, into the schedules we already have. Let's face it, when given the choice between our favorite TV show (after a long day of work) or a 30 minute ab workout, we're probably gonna choose the TV show! But why can't we do both?

If you really feel like you need an hour of TV before you go to bed at night, TAKE IT! But maybe try to throw in some of these while you are already sitting there:

(Click HERE for image source.)

Two birds with one stone, JUST LIKE THAT! And why not park at the back of the parking lot instead of searching for 5 minutes to find the perfect "rock-star" spot. It's likely that it will take the same amount of time to walk to your destination from the back as it would to find that parking spot in the front anyway. And of course there is always the option to take the stairs!

But why stop there? Try looking at your day from an outsider's point of view. If someone were watching you on TV all day, what would they say you spend all your time on? I know what the answer would be for me! People would see that I spend a ridiculous amount of time on the computer. Solution? My husband propped our desk up about a foot above the ground, so now if I want to use the computer, I have to do it standing up! This setup has helped me to stay in motion more often and has also helped tone down my addiction to the computer. :)

Unfortunately, creativity isn't always going to be enough. Sometimes you just need to make sacrifices. More recently for me, that meant forking out the dough for a double stroller. A hard thing to do, but totally worth it! Now that I have the ability to take both of my girls out at the same time, I'm finding that I'm walking more often, I'm able to go running whenever a spare moment arises WITHOUT finding a babysitter first, and I even get to run with my husband on the weekends!

Last year my sacrifice came in the form of TIME. I wanted to train for a half marathon, but the only time I could go running without getting a babysitter was early in the morning before Kevin left to work. That meant running at 5 am 4 times a week! It was brutal training my body to get up that early, but eventually I started to really enjoy the alone time, as well as the peace and quiet that comes with running at 5 am.

And if you want to be REALLY extreme like my adorable husband, you could try biking or running to all your destinations :) I know that sounds crazy, but the only way my husband could find time to workout without taking him away from his family, was to bike 7 miles to work in the morning, cross the street to the gym at his lunch break for some plyo or weights, and then run home after work! Yeah... the man has enough energy to power an entire country!

Anyway, while I don't expect ANYONE to try my husbands approach to working out, I want people to see that where there is a will there IS ABSOLUTELY a way!