12 Health and Fitness Tips for Busy People

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I am aware that getting active and looking after your health and fitness is on pretty much everyone’s goals for January. I can see why because, we all want to go into that new year starting from the beginning. There is no pressure, the slate has been wiped clean and you are starting from the bottom.

I am what most people like to say “a rare breed” because being active and being fit is something I am passionate about. I honestly enjoy it with all my heart. I love sports, I love working out and more recently in the past few years I love running.

Related: 5 tips for beginning running, 5 tips to improve your running

However, I like everyone else struggle sometimes with working full time, trying to have somewhat of a social life and scheduling in that self-care when needed. But me being me I try to fit in a workout or run whenever I have a spare minute.

Therefore, in today’s post I wanted to share with you….

12 HEALTH AND FITNESS TIPS FOR BUSY PEOPLE!

Create a list

I pretty much mention writing a list in the majority of my posts and including for my blog in my blog planner (af link), but I honestly believe they help a lot. They are great for setting those goals, and for helping you clearly see what you want to achieve and even when you want to achieve them.

When you create a list for your health and fitness you want to include it in a list of all the things you would love to do in your spare time. By doing this you are including it in the other things you enjoy. For example, watching TV, reading, going for a run etc. You then want to list these in terms of priority, starting at number one all the way down to the bottom. This will then give you a list of all the activities you value, and then everyday you should aim to try and complete at least three of the things on your list even if it’s only 15-20 minutes.

Prepare in advance

I cannot stress enough how much time it saves me when I prepare my meals in advance, or even when I get my outfit ready for the next day (in terms of running gear/workout clothes). You will find with a little bit of research that a lot of recipes and food out there are perfect for prepping in advance, or even batch cooking so that all you have to do is defrost and shove in an oven/microwave etc.

Now I am no chef and I am just like anyone else in winging it when it comes to cooking. However, if you go onto Google or even look at food blogs (check out Lynn as she shares some amazing recipes) there are a lot of resources out there for quick and easy recipes!

Less can be more

For a lot of people going into exercising for the first time they have in their mind-set that you should be working out for at least an hour to reap any results. THIS IS NOT TRUE. You could do a 15 minute HIIT and that is just as effective (sometimes even more depending on the exercise) as an hour long session.

Once you realise that less is more then you are on the game in terms of your health and fitness. You could even do smaller workouts but more times a week if that suits your busy schedule.

Relax

It can be hard when you are working full time, things are getting on top of you and you are feeling the stress levels at 100%. This has a negative impact on your health and your well-being. One of the best ways to look after yourself and your health is to learn how to relax.

Find some time to fit in some meditation, do a face mask, read a book, have a bath and just relax your mind and body. You could even just wrap up in bed and put on a funny movie, or funny youtube videos because some studies have suggested that even the anticipation of laughter can reduce our stress levels.

Introduce a more active lifestyle

By this I mean making some active swaps in your life. For example, when the very first lockdown happened in the UK I stopped using public transport and decided to walk to work. Therefore, this changed my normal 5 minute route to a 35 minute walk. Of course I made this decision based off a pandemic but also I found that it would be better for me to fit in some exercise around my long hour working schedule.

You could also choose to walk home with shopping (if it is a small shop of course), do some family/couple gardening, going for a run/walk instead of meeting up for food etc. These are all positive and healthy habits for that health and fitness lifestyle.

Workout with others

This could be with the people you live with, your kids, or even friends or other family members. I believe if you are struggling to find time for keeping up your fitness in your busy life then by adding someone else into the mix might give you that kick up the butt you need. As long as you are looking after your health and fitness it doesn’t matter how you do it (well maybe within reason)

It could be during a lunch break or before/after work to just get that body moving. Sometimes starting out a health and fitness lifestyle is much easier with someone by your side. Plus someone else will be able to see things from a different perspective and where you think you don’t have time to do something, well someone else might see differently.

Schedule workouts

I always put my runs and my workouts into my planner. This way I can see what days I want to run, what days I want to do a workout and when I will give myself rest days. By doing this it helps me stay on target with what needs to be done, plus I love ticking everything off my lists.

Also by scheduling your workout/runs you are actively making time and making them a priority in your life, which means you are more likely to get it done. For example, I put into my planner to run on Tuesday’s, Friday’s and Sunday’s at the moment, and I then choose to workout Monday-Friday. This way I can clearly see what day’s I need to do what and I am giving myself rest days too.

This is great at tracking your health and fitness in a healthy way too!

Get up earlier

With the majority of us working from home at the moment this is the perfect time to wake up that little bit earlier and get your workout/run done before you begin working. You don’t have to commute so that gives you that extra time to jump straight into your health and fitness routine. But also by waking up earlier you are making the most of your day and beginning a healthy routine.

I honestly feel my health and fitness routine has benefited a lot since I have begun working from home more.

Related : How to implement an effective morning routine

Change your mind-set

You should be thinking of that workout or run as something “fun”. It should be something that you want to do, rather than it being something you “have to do”. This in turn ensures that you are consistent and you show up, because you actually enjoy it.

Therefore, if you change that mind-set you will find yourself enjoying the exercise much more and this will also help to keep you motivated to continue. Looking after your health and fitness should be something that makes you happy and feel good, so always focus on that.

Fit around your routine

By this I mean if you are watching a TV show or sitting down for a short break could you do something within that timeframe? For example, during that TV show you could do some yoga or do a workout etc. That way you are watching something you enjoy which might take away from the fact you are doing a workout.

What I am saying is if you have time to watch a 30 minute programme/show you have time to also fit in that workout. It is always about prioritising your health and fitness, and just fitting it into your schedule.

Stand instead of sitting

If you are working from home, or working at a desk all day then you know that your poor body just should not be sitting down for that long. Instead you could stand up whilst working for 1 hour and then sit down for 1 hour and then back standing again etc. Or you could simply just make sure every hour you get up and walk around for 5 minutes just to get moving.

This not only helps to improve your posture but will make sure you are moving your body frequently as well especially when you are sitting down for long hours with your job. I know for sure now that I am working at a desk instead of teaching that my body is not moving half as much as it used to. Therefore, ensuring I spend some periods of time standing up is so beneficial for my health and fitness.

Set alarms

Firstly, make sure if you are to do this that it does not go off during any important meetings. But something you could do is set yourself alarms to move every certain amount of time that is suitable for you.

By doing this it reminds you to look after your health and fitness by getting your body moving but also giving yourself a break from staring at the screen which is just as equally as important.

There you have 12 health and fitness tips for busy people! However, these health and fitness tips can be used by anyone and everyone. Start your healthy habits today and change your life.

Are these tips useful? Do you have a health and fitness routine?

Thanks for reading,

Gemma Jayne x

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