Do you find time to Exercise?

Unless you are a professional athlete who gets paid to train, it can be tough to fit your workouts into an already full schedule.

If you’re in employment:

Despite advances in technology, many of us still spend more – rather than less – time at work. However, there are ways in which you can be more active:

•  Go for a walk in your lunch break.
• Talk to your employers about promoting health at work.
• Walk to and from work.

If you look after children:

Having children can change everything about your lifestyle. Here are some positive steps you can take:

• Exercise with your child. Take them to the local swimming pool or play in the garden or local park.
• Find out which local sports and leisure centers have crèche facilities, so you can exercise while your child is being looked after.
• Walk your child to school. Not only will this help you to be active, it will also help your child develop an early pattern of physical activity that might stay with them into adulthood.
• Find out if there are activities available at your child’s school for the local community. Some schools use their facilities for sports and exercise classes in the evenings and at weekends.

If you’re based at home:

• Plan your week so you have to walk to the shops frequently.
• Look at ways in which you can be more active in and around your home. Use the stairs to exercise, work in the garden or – if you have the space and can afford it – install some gym equipment – Failing that, invest in a skipping rope.
• Look for community-based activity programmes in your local area. If you have medical problems your GP may be able to refer you to a local gym, sports centre or exercise programme at reduced cost with an ‘exercise prescription’.

The early bird:

If your normal day really doesn’t let you incorporate exercise, one option is to get up early by half hour to go for a brisk walk or even a swim, if you have a pool nearby.

Alternatively, if you’re not an early bird, consider looking at how you could use any free time you have in the evening to increase your activity patterns.