This headline goes against Well Enough’s usual, accessible fitness ethos. I firmly believe there is a reason we all live the lives we do. Within that, there are reasons why we don’t exercise, with limited time being among the most commonly cited.
But I read something recently that made me question whether a lack of time is truly to blame.
Most of us find time each day to watch TV and scroll on our phones, Adam Sinicki argues in his book Functional Training and Beyond.
But what is it that makes us choose these activities over a health-boosting workout?
“If you’re coming hçome and crashing on the sofa each night, it’s because you have no energy,” Sinicki writes.
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“The issue is that energy is a finite resource. You can’t keep adding new activities [to an already hectic lifestyle] without eventually running out of juice. So if you’re already too tired to train, what makes you think you can start training an additional few hours per week?”
This week’s newsletter aims to provide a solution to this problem, and help you add exercise into your life in a way that actually works.
There is no one-size-fits-all solution for fitness. Everybody is different, every body is different, everyone’s circumstances differ and each individual will thrive under different conditions. That’s why I’ve tried to offer four possible solutions below.
Option one: increase your energy levels
Option one is to address your energy levels directly. Two of the easiest ways to do this are to improve your sleep and eat a more nutritious diet. Luckily, I have guides ready to go on both topics.
To improve your sleep, The Sleep Scientist founder Dr Sophie Bostock’s top recommendation is establishing a regular sleep routine in line with your circadian rhythm (your in-built body clock, which follows light-dark or day-night patterns). This, she says, is one of the best things you can do for better sleep quality – almost as important as overall sleep quantity. In the piece linked above, she shares four further tips.
For improving your diet, last week’s newsletter (linked here) provides a solid starting point. Building a balanced plate at mealtimes – half filled with plants, a quarter with a protein source and a quarter with fibre-rich carbohydrates – lays firm foundations.
Adding in more nutritious foods such as fruits and vegetables, and those rich in B vitamins such as dairy products, nuts and legumes, can also help your body function better and give your energy levels a lift.
Option two: front-load your day with healthy behaviours while motivation is high
Every hour you’re awake, your likelihood of making it to the gym decreases, performance coach and Perform 365 founder Dan Lawrence once told me.
Each decision you make drains a little bit of energy, each work, social and family commitment drains a little more, and by the time the evening rolls around all you want to do is curl up somewhere comfortable.
His solution is to “win the morning”. Prioritise exercise and other healthy behaviours, making time to do them early in the day while you still feel fairly fresh.
He recommends a short bout of morning movement – be that a home workout or mobility routine – as well as a glass of water and some sunlight to start the day.
“Of course, this is context-specific – if someone has kids or an irregular schedule, it might not work,” he caveats. “But generally, ‘win the morning, win the day’ is a powerful approach, particularly regarding exercise.”
Option three: streamline your workouts
It is far easier to muster the energy for a short, accessible home workout than to drag yourself to the gym for 60 minutes or more. This is why I believe streamlining your workouts can be a potent tonic to a lack of exercise in our time-pressed lives.
The great news is that this approach still delivers impressive results, particularly for those newer to exercise. As the American College of Sports Medicine recently reported: “Whether you’re using barbells, resistance bands, or your body weight, consistency and effort drive results.”
There are two main options for making exercise more accessible. The first is to learn how to start strength training at home with minimal equipment. The feature linked here should contain everything you need to know to get started.
If a workout challenges your muscles, it will likely be effective, and you can do this anywhere, at any time. For example, if you’re waiting for your child at the school gates, you could set a 10-minute timer and perform a hard set of press-ups every two minutes.
This might make you feel a bit self-conscious. Most people don’t do things like this. But most people also want to improve their health, so I’d be keen to see this sort of behaviour become a bit less taboo.
The second option for streamlining your workouts is exercise snacks – short one-to-five-minute bursts of exercise scattered throughout the day so they don’t disrupt your routine. This could be as simple as doing as many squats or sit-to-stands as you can in 60 seconds, or opting for the stairs rather than an escalator and tackling them at a brisk pace.
Option four: something has to be sacrificed
This is Sinicki’s principal suggestion in his book. “If you really want to commit to being a healthier version of yourself, you need to look at your current routine and make space,” he writes. “That might mean removing a commitment or even quitting a hobby.”
Exercise is not easy to fit into your routine, and doing so can feel unnatural. But for better health, I’ve found it has to be prioritised over many other activities. Family and friends come first, of course, but moving your body has to sit somewhere near the top of the tree if you are to do it consistently.
And there we have it. Four tips for making exercise fit into your life, and enjoying the exponential health benefits that come with doing so.
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