Men’s Health Month: Fitting fitness into a busy schedule
June is Men’s Health Month, and I wanted to share how I make time for fitness with an always busy schedule. As a business owner with a growing business (we’re moving and expanding our headquarters to Eastlake and opening a second PT clinic in Redmond!), my days and weeks are packed.
I have to prioritize my health and energy in order to meet my goals and manage my schedule. That often means blocking my schedule to go for a run or a bike ride. When I can’t carve out much time, I’ll sometimes challenge myself to do 100 pushups throughout the day. That often looks like getting in 20 push-ups while the dogs are chowing on breakfast.
Tips for Men’s Health – Start with small blocks of time
I’m fortunate to work in places where there’s always exercise equipment around. Ten bicep curls are better than none.
Integrating fitness into family time is the best of both worlds. Kristin and I will go for a walk with Arrow and Beans after work and then hit the TRX in our garage for a few shoulder rows.
Every little bit counts. People sometimes think I must exercise for hours at a time, but that just isn’t the case anymore. Other than cardio, I never exercise for more than 20 minutes. The key is doing it 5-6 days a week.
I still really enjoy going on bike rides (1-2 hours) but I don’t always have enough time. I can still get a good workout with a 45-minute run on the Woodland Park trails and around Green Lake.
Hope these tips help you find ways to make time for fitness, even when you’re busy! Men’s Health month might be recognized in June, but you need to have a focus on fitness all year long. Moving more, even if you break it into small blocks during the day, improves your physical, mental, and emotional health.
For more information about how to incorporate physical fitness into a healthy lifestyle, check out this article from Health.gov.