Making time

I say this a lot, but this week has been crazy. I’m probably going to start every blog post with this, for the next few weeks. In the midst of my packed schedule, I always try to ensure that I am still being consistent with my fitness goals.

One thing I hear from people is that they “just don’t have time” to work out in the week and I get that, especially the last few weeks where I’ve had to juggle more modules, my part-time job, freelance work, coding courses, interviews.

So, I totally know how hard it can be to balance work, life and fitness. Today to mark my completion of Grace Fit Guide 2 (my second round!) I wanted to share some of what I do to ensure that I make time to tick off “endorphin rush” on my todo list.

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Wake up early

Whenever my life gets too busy for my liking, I like to get up early to make sure that I have enough time for my self-care rituals and all the other things I have pending on my todo list. Back when I was working full time on my placement, this was key in smashing my health goals. Because after a long day of meetings and juggling multiple projects, anything after 5 pm was things that didn’t require that much energy.

Remember you don’t have to go to the gym, you can always do a home workout! The first year of my fitness journey was 80% home workouts.

Get your body moving in other ways

Some days I can’t wake up early, especially when I stay up the night before getting freelance work done. So when I wake up late, I make sure that I get my body moving in other ways.

I always walk to University campus and on days I am kicking myself for not being able to workout, I run to University or take the hilly, longer route but aim to get to my destination in 20 minutes (that’s basically a HIIT routine in Sheffield!)

Other things you could do is walking during lunch breaks – I used to do laps around a nearby park during my lunch breaks at work.

I’ve recently taken up Hot Yoga as another way to get my body moving 🤗 And is of course part of my goal to improve my flexibility and mobility!

Gyming in between lectures

This is something I’ve been doing a lot of recently which has actually worked quite well. Whenever I have more than an hour break in between lectures, I try to smash out a quick workout at the gym.

It’s been great because I’ve been able to lift heavier (in contrast to my usual home workout) and the walk back up the hill has been beneficial extra cardio!

I’ve also recently seen people that work nearby change from their suits and work outfits to gym wear – you can make time!

Smashing two exercises in one day

For those familiar with the Grace Fit Guide (GFG) programme, the workout split is as follows: Legs, Arms and Chest, Booty, Back and Shoulders, Cardio and Abs. Whenever I have a busy week ahead of me, I like to complete two of my workouts in one day especially if I have more time during a specific day of the week. I usually do an upper body workout and lower body workout e.g. Legs followed by Arms and Chest. I sometimes like to do this when I know I want to do nothing over the weekend but sleep in and work from bed.

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These things have allowed me to continue hitting my fitness goals in the midst of my hectic schedule.

TL: DR – flexibility is key, I’ve learnt that in the midst of my busy schedule, exercise is so important for me to perform well in everyday life so I will always make time for it. But I’ve also learnt (the hard way) to stop beating myself up when I miss a day or completely for a week, as long as I get back on it, I know I don’t need to worry at all. I’ve made huge gains since August 2016 that I know won’t disappear overnight.

Remember your mindset is key to improving your health – always treat yourself with the love and kindness that you deserve!