The no-excuses exercise guide for busy people

What’s the most common reason people struggle to start exercising or stick to a fitness journey? Not having enough time.

We get it. It’s easy to be time-poor when you’re working, raising a family, studying, caring, or any combination of the above. It can be hard to find time for anything you’d LIKE to do outside of all the regular things you NEED to do.

But just like personal trainer Luke Zocchi masterminds high-impact, bicep-building workouts that Chris Hemsworth can crush between scene changes on movie sets, it’s all about making the most of every moment.

We’ve got five tips to help you squeeze in some exercise – yes, even when you’ve got no time.

1. Hack time

We can’t do a Michael J. Fox and go back to the future, but we can ‘make’ time. How? Take a look at your day and see if there are activities that can be replaced with a quick workout.

Do you sit down while dinner is cooking and mindlessly scroll through social media? Are you really slow getting ready for work in the morning – taking two hours to do what should only take about 45 minutes? Do you sit and watch TV for a few hours before bed? Any of these times could be spent exercising!

2. Negotiate a merger

If management (ie: your brain and your diary) can’t see any obvious time slots in your day to clear for exercise, it’s time to talk merger: working exercise into activities you already do.

If you walk your dog to the park every day, get in as many bodyweight reps as possible between throwing the ball and your dog bringing it back to you – that’s a HIIT session right there.

Need to binge the new Netflix series so you can participate in tomorrow’s water-cooler conversation? Take what you’ve learned from Centr’s yoga and Pilates experts and put it into practice in front of the TV.

3. Co-opt the kids

Have you ever noticed that kids LOVE to move? They have endless energy – which can work in your favor when it comes to exercise.

Dynamic Yoga instructor Tahl Rinsky worried that she’d “never exercise again” after having kids. Then she learned to incorporate her kids into her workouts, be it lifting the baby up and down, or just letting them crawl around on her yoga mat. Da Rulk calls his son “my favorite weight vest” – carrying a kid on your back is a great way to up the intensity of bear crawls and pulses.

It can be as simple as letting the kids exercise with you: take turns doing squats, see who can run the fastest to the tree and back, or hold a plank together.

4. Keep it real

Six workouts a week sounds great, but does three sound a little more realistic? Fit in what you can, then make more time as your goals take shape – because a regular exercise routine needs to be realistic and achievable to make it work.

While you’re keeping it real, think about why exercise is important to you. Is it going to improve your health, increase your energy levels, help you lose weight, give you more confidence in yourself, help with stress levels? YES! All of those reasons sound pretty important to us – so give exercise the same level of importance you give other priorities in your life.

5. Cut to the chase

Anyone who says “I don’t have time to work out” just hasn’t met Ashley Joi yet.

Ashley’s No Time to Work Out HIIT cardio session will speed up your metabolism, build your strength using bodyweight and test your core – in only 12 minutes. Give this free workout a go!

“NO TIME TO WORK OUT” WORKOUT

Target: full-body

Do 3 rounds

• Balance skater - 40 secs

• Reverse lunge with knee drive - 40 secs

• Push-up with alternating touch toes - 40 secs

• Pulse squat with abduction - 40 secs

At Centr, we’re all about short, sharp and effective 20-40 minute workouts that can be done in the gym or at home.

Even better, we have all the sessions lined up for you already, so you don’t even need to find time to plan what you’re going to do. With Centr you can just log on, follow your Planner and do the workouts – any time you like.