Too busy to sweat?

Let's be honest. These days everyone is busy. Our lives are choc-a-block full of work, family, extracurricular activities, social occasions, study and whatever else we fill our time with. Add pre-christmas festivities to an already over burdened schedule and somethings gotta give...usually it's the stuff that is keeping us alive...EXERCISE!

So what can you do during this crazy time to keep the exercise in your schedule but still manage to do all the other stuff that needs to be done?

• Reduce the time, increase the intensity.  By reducing the amount of time we exercise to about 30 minutes, it is much easier to fit into our schedule.  However with a reduction in time, we need to up the ante and work a bit harder.  This doesn't mean just sitting on the bike, reading a magazine!  Give some intervals a try.  Whether it be running, bike riding, swimming, power walking or rowing a great session is: Warm up for 5 minutes.  Then perform 1 minute effort, followed by 1 minute recovery.  Repeat this 10 times.  Cool down 5 minutes.  Stretch.  The 1 minute efforts need to be at your best possible effort.  Give it a try...it will be worth it!
• Get the sweating out of the way early.  During spring and summer time, the mornings are glorious.  It's peaceful and a great time to fit in some exercise before the craziness of the day kicks in.  By getting your sweating out the way earlier you will be much more likely to stick to it...and feel a hell of a lot better for doing so!
• Break up your sessions into 10 minute blocks.  If you still find that you are squeezed for time, find 3 x 10 minute blocks in your day and get moving!  These sessions should be of high intensity so you are huffing and puffing by the end of it.  Some people I know use the stairs in their work building or apartment block as their 10 minute burst.

I figure if our ex Prime Minister Johnny Howard (a pretty busy person!) can fit in his exercise everyday (remember the really unattractive green tracksuit?!) then surely we can manage our 30 minutes a day....even during the busiest time of year!

Let your health shine!
Rhiannon