I DOn't have time - why we don't exercise and how to get started
One of the first things people are concerned about when they talk about starting to exercise is the time that it takes. We all have busy schedules and when you work full time, have school, have kids, pretty much do anything that takes effort, a lot of the time when you aren’t doing that you just want to rest.
It’s understandable, but considering there are so many benefits to exercise, I think it’s worth trying to find a way around. Truth is as well, that it’s actually quite simple to fit in.
I think the reason don’t think so is because they see all of these people who really enjoy exercise spending hours and hours each week training. But if you’re just exercising because you need to and it makes you feel better for the rest of your day, you definitely don’t need to dedicate this much time. Heres how.
*considering that this post is for people short on time, I am going to try and keep this short and sweet
Minimum Effective Dose
The secret is to get the minimum effective dose (MED) of exercise to get a response and then get out.
Now, this might be hard to establish what is the “minimum effective dose” and that’s where having a coach can come in handy. What might be helpful though is that:
For cardiovascular exercise (jogging, swimming, biking, circuits), 10 minutes is the MED
For strength you should generally be looking to reach within 2-4 reps of faliure for each movement/exercise you do, for 2-4 sets based on your goals
Those are a couple of really general guidelines. Like I said, If you haven’t done this before, hire a coach even just for a bit to figure it out. You can contact me about this through the contact me page or you can look at some of my posts on these topics if you want to do your own research.
Whats good bang for my buck?
Now that we know what the minimum effective dose is for two of the main goals people have, we can look at what kind of training we can do with our limited time. Obviously this will be effected by what you enjoy but everyone should be completing some sort of cardiovascular activity and some form of resistance training each week.
Note that resistance training doesn’t always mean lifting heavy weights. It can mean bodyweight exercises, using resistance bands, holding positions like planks or wall sits. Almost anything that places tension/demand on your muscles is resistance training in some form.
If you’re looking to develop both of these and just want a quick way to get it out of the way, circuits are probably one of your best bets.
Circuits
Essentially a few basic exercises which can be repeated without too much drop off in form thrown together. Because it is a combination of strength movements with a larger cardiovascular component than you would normally get, you need to be careful without the movements that you are selecting.
Once you have selected a few (generally 3-8) movements you can complete these for intervals with rest in between. You can adjust this based on your current fitness level or the exercises. I recommend starting with 20 seconds on, 20 seconds off if you’re just starting. I would repeat this for at least 10 minutes, and anything over that is a bonus if you’re just getting started.
An example that I completed recently was this:
40sec ON, 20sec OFF
Kettle Bell Swings
Rotational Med-Ball Slams
Reverse Lunges w/ KB
*if you want a full bodyweight workout example then look at the bottom of this post
Conclusion
So as you can see, there are ways of incorporating exercise into your week if you currently have not found the time. Circuits I believe are a really great, low barrier entry as they can be done from home quite easily and still give you a decent challenge.
As you improve and if you do want to invest a bit more time, it is definitely worth starting to do more specific training for either strength or cardio ability, however if this doesn’t interest you, circuits and exercise that you might enjoy like biking or swimming does the trick.
If you do need help with any of this feel free to contact me for coaching and I will help you incorporate it into your schedule. Otherwise hopefully whichever coach you do opt to go with will be able to do the same for you.
If you have any questions drop them in the comments below or reach out and I hope you got some value from this!
Con Economou
EXAMPLE BODYWEIGHT PROGRAM
30 seconds on, 30 seconds off
3 rounds = 15 mins
EXERCISES:
Reverse Lunges
Push-Ups (or the variation you are capable of)
Speed Squats
Plank
Mountain climbers