There’s no doubt about it, life is busy. It seems like we’re constantly adding to our already overwhelming to-do lists each day, and there simply isn’t the time for everything we want to accomplish!

Time blocking for goals is a great habit to get into, and one area that many people push to the side when life feels busy is regular exercise. But exercise is so important for maintaining your overall health—even a little goes a long way. So, we want to help you set up a plan to get exercise in when life feels too busy.

Key Takeaways:

• There are solutions for even the busiest individuals to get exercise each day when life is busy.
• Listening to audiobooks or podcasts while doing leisurely cardio is a great way to multitask.
• Turning social gatherings into low-pressure and fun exercise is a worthwhile idea.

Table of Contents:

1. Listen to an Audiobook or Podcast
2. Voice Record or Work/Study
3. Turn a Social Event into Exercise
4. Movement Breaks Every Half Hour
5. While Waiting on a Chore
6. Intense 10-15 Minute Workouts
7. Conclusion

Listen to an Audiobook or Podcast 

Using cardio activity to engage in learning is a great way to multitask. You’ll ensure you’re still getting your exercise in while exploring a topic that’s important to you at the same time.

You can listen to educational and self-help podcasts, or even a fictional audiobook, while you walk/jog either outside or on the treadmill, while you bike, use the elliptical, or other cardio machines. If you want to take it beyond cardio, you can even listen while stretching or doing weights (though that might be a bit more difficult to multitask during).

Voice Record or Work/Study

Just as you can listen to podcasts, audiobooks, or learning materials while doing cardio, you can use the time to record voice memos, take notes, journal, and get some work and studying done as well. While you are on a walk outside, you can dictate important notes or tasks for later. Or if you are on a stationary bike, elliptical, or other cardio machine, you may even be able to journal longform or catch up on work and studying with textbooks or on your electronic device. 

While we usually hear the advice that exercise time should be for us and our mental clarity, and not for working, it's still better to exercise while working than not exercise at all. So, if you need to catch up on those work emails while on the Stairmaster, so be it! Sometimes multitasking can be a good option, especially if the cardio you’re doing doesn’t require too much focus or exertion.

Turn a Social Event into Exercise

Socialization is an important aspect of our overall health, the same way nutrition, exercise, safety, and everything in between is important. Since so many of us are limited on time and balancing work, family, friends, hobbies, and otherwise, turning a social event into exercise could be a great idea.

Next time you have a weekly meetup with friends, instead of going out to a bar or brunch or watching a movie, sporting event, or getting coffee, try doing a sport together like tennis or pickleball. Try taking a yoga or Pilates class, maybe go for a group bike ride or trail walk. Have you always wanted to try rock climbing, playing a round of golf, kayaking, or something else active? Why not go with a friend!

Movement Breaks Every Half Hour 

There’s no doubt about it, work schedules are busy. Set a notification on your phone every half hour that reminds you to get up and move. Do you work from home or in an office that has stairs? If you have stairs available, use the movement time to walk up and down the stairs for a minute before returning to work. You can also walk around the room or in place on these half-hour breaks.

Bonus tip: Stretch your neck upward for a few seconds during these movement times, especially if you sit at a desk where your neck is constantly drawn down. Extra bonus: Drink water during the movement breaks, too, so you’re implementing several healthy habits at once!

While Waiting on a Chore

There are a few household chores or routines that we wait on throughout our days where our attention is not actively needed every minute for the task at hand. You can take that time to do a quick 5-minute stretching or body weight routine. Do this during tasks like waiting on your laundry to finish in the wash, while waiting for dinner to cook or baking something in the oven, waiting for your morning coffee to brew, and so on.

If you have a chore or task that you are waiting on and it’s not dangerous to leave unattended, simply set a timer, and get some quick body movement in. Exercises like stretching, pushups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, and squats are all great options. Then, once the timer goes off, you’ll be checking two things off at once. Maybe whatever you were waiting on can even be the reward!

Intense 10-15 Minute Workouts

Even if you are short on time, you may be able to incorporate a 10–15-minute workout at some point during your day. If you do have the time for a short workout, make it as intense as possible. You can up the intensity by the exercises you include in the workout. If you’re looking for a cardio burn, try exercises like burpees, mountain climbers, jumping jacks, high knees, squat jumps, and more. If you’re looking for an ab burn, try a continual plank sequence or an ab wheel.

Need inspiration for short workouts? Try these 12-minute workouts that were inspired by the extra-busy holiday season.

Conclusion

You don’t have to spend hours in the gym or hit a workout class each day if you feel spread thin. If you are already worried about having the time and committing to workouts then you might not end up doing it at all. Taking small steps to include exercise is better than not doing any. Exercise and moving the body is crucial for health and wellness, especially as we get older.*

Whether you need to multitask while doing leisurely cardio, take brief movement breaks throughout the day, do exercises while you wait on other tasks, turn social events into fun and low-pressure exercise, or have limited time for a workout, there are solutions to getting exercise when life is busy!