Wew, fitting in workouts has been rough this week because it’s my first week in the clinic. It has definitely been an adjustment being on my feet all day instead of sitting in the classroom for lectures. My feet and knees are exhausted by the end of the day, but I’m loving actually being with real patients! Anyways, I believe it’s almost always possible to fit in a workout, no matter how busy you are. It took me until finals this past semester to realize that setting aside 1.5 hours to workout actually did me more good than telling myself I couldn’t “waste the time” away from studying – I felt noticeably more focused & productive when I did sit down to study…it only took a year.

With that being said, here are my tips to get my butt to the gym! Hopefully, it can help you if you’re struggling with it right now (oh like me right now).

1. Look at where you spend your time each day, and see where you can cut things out to make time for a workout (cough Facebook cough). To help you see how much time is being used where, write down your typical day as you go along with how much time you spend on them (although I’m scared to know how much of my time is on social media).

2. I like to outline the next day in my head before I go to bed, that way at the end of the day I’m not just realizing that there’s something else I have to do (like grocery shop) instead of working out. Also, it helps when your workout is physically put in your schedule because you know you have time for it! Another helpful tip when scheduling is to also get everything prepared for the next day. There are more times than I’d like to admit that forgetting a hair tie prevented me from working out that day — don’t let it happen to you by keeping an extra set of gym essentials in your car!

3. You’ve heard it before, but having someone to train you or train with does make you accountable. Not going to lie it helps that my boyfriend works at the gym I go to.

4. Once you start & get your priorities//schedule in place, it gets easier to WANT to go- yes you will actually look forward to it (I promise). In order to actually have lasting results, this is a must.

5. With that being said, it’s still important to be able to change your schedule how you see fit.  I normally try to stick with a strict routine to keep me accountable (meaning I always do legs on Monday and long cardio days on Wednesdays… etc). However, I am learning that might not be the best option now that I’m working a real job (which is actually a common thing for people…who knew). For example, on Monday I usually always workout legs, however I was so tired from standing on them all day that I decided to do something else instead and move legs to my off day. Work with what you’re working with. 

6. If you’re really crunched for time, get your HIIT on. This is the quickest way to get in and out of the gym. This is actually my favorite type of workout because it’s over faster 🙂 I’ve posted lots of these types of workouts, so check them out by clicking here if you need some ideas. Please note however that quality > quantity!

7. Results are your biggest motivator, so keep up with them! Take before and after pictures // make goals to keep working towards something! Now don’t make all your goals centered on weight. I prefer to track inches instead and to make more functional goals- do x amount of push-ups, do a pull-up (current goal is 2.. I’m moving up in the world), see definition in this body part, etc. I found that when I centered my goals on weight, I would lose motivation because the scale would go down (like a pound) then go right back up — so many factors play into weight…such as water retention, muscle growth, inflammation, etc.

What are your tips? Please share! 

&& Thanks for reading,

Amanda