Have you caught yourself saying or thinking that these last few weeks?  Especially this time of year, it is really easy to get out of the habit of doing certain athletic activities that we normally would do on a regular basis. There are new schedules, no more lazy summer vacation days, seasonal shifts in chores, new work deadlines, and suddenly everyone in the household needs to be three different places at once!  What gives?! Sadly, what often gives is our exercise routine. With September being both National Self Care Awareness and Self Improvement month, read on as we talk about ways to carve out ‘me time’ to make sure you maintain the active lifestyle that you value.

Sometimes changing up a routine is actually a good thing (breaking unhelpful habits and practicing flexibility can benefit some of us, some of the time). But for most of us, maintaining our ability to stay active is a really important part of both our physical – and mental health. Not devoting time to exercise can really impact our mood, and increase stress in what is already a really stressful time of year. To our knowledge, no one has proposed a 25^th hour in the day just yet. So, until that happens, check out the tips below to help you to carve a little extra time for staying active this fall season!

Make it a priority

Being active is as important (and usually more important) than a lot of things we have on our calendars. Block off the time you need to fit in some time to be active! This might mean starting your work schedule an hour later if your job allows, or carving out an hour during the day, even if it means you might stay late. If you have any flex time at work, make sure you label the time – that will help you to avoid just spending the free time catching up on answering email. It might also help to share your calendar digitally with others in your home. That way, they know not to schedule something over the time you reserved for yourself!

Get creative

Take a meeting walking with ear buds, not every meeting has to be on video. If you are dropping off and picking someone up at a baseball or soccer practice, spend the time they are running around doing a few laps in the neighborhood yourself. Try making at least the first part of date night something active; no one cares if you wind up sweaty if you both do.

Re-frame what being active means

Maybe you don’t have time for the long set at the gym that you normally would love to do, but you do have 20 minutes. Three rounds of four exercises can be done in less than 10 minutes – so that means with a quick warm up and cool/down stretch, you can do a workout in 20 minutes that may be better than what you would consider your typical workout. Workouts that are short in duration, but high in intensity have been shown to be more beneficial than longer workouts at moderate intensity. Check out our blog on HIIT training here to see why!

Depending on your fitness level, here is a sample workout for when keeping it short is a priority, and the only equipment you need is a park bench or some stairs. Don’t forget to do a quick warm up before you start!

1. Step up on stairs or a park bench, 10 reps on each leg.
2. Push-ups – 10-15 reps, either on the ground or with hands on the park bench/stairs.
3. Standing broad jumps (stand with feet together, bend your knees, and jump forward as far as you can, landing on two feet) – 10 reps. Modify with jumping jacks for 30-60 seconds.
4. Forearm side plank (either on the ground or modify with forearm on the park bench) – 20-30 seconds.

Repeat all 4 exercises 3 times. If you don’t take too much of a break in between exercises and sets you’ll not only have enough time for some cool down stretches afterward, but you’ll also be getting some great cardiovascular and metabolic benefits – all within 20 minutes!

Here at Beacon Physical Therapy, we can help you to develop more quick exercise programs that are suitable for you and your fitness level. Come in for an appointment today – we love to help you to keep doing the things you love to do!