As an entrepreneur, you lead a busy lifestyle and may find yourself feeling like there is not enough time in the day to get everything done. Don’t sacrifice your health and fitness at the expense of your career. Though it’s tough to make time for exercise when you are busy running the world, there are some simple ways to take care of your body without ignoring your business. Try implementing these fitness time-savers into your everyday life, and you will start to notice an improvement in your physical and mental health.
Invest In At-Home Workout Equipment
After a long day of work, the last thing most entrepreneurs want to do is head to the gym. Taking care of your body is important not only for health purposes but it can also ease the stress and tension that often comes along with running your own business. Purchasing a few inexpensive items to make your own home gym can give you the freedom to work out on your own time without having to leave your comfort zone.
A yoga mat is one of the best purchases you can make because they are very cheap and practical whether you practice yoga or not. Using a mat, you can spend just 20 minutes each morning on ab or leg workouts. Try picking three tough ab exercises and integrate them into your daily routine.
Resistance bands are another easy-to-use piece of equipment that can give quick, effective results and cost no more than $10. Whether you want to tone your core, work your legs or strengthen your shoulders, resistance bands can be used in simple workouts like jumping squats, lunges, shoulder raises, bicycle crunches and side planks. Another cheap piece of equipment, an inflatable exercise ball can add an extra challenge to your core and leg workouts.
Though more expensive than the other three options, weight sets are extremely versatile and worth the extra money if you plan to work out at home on a regular basis. Depending on the types of exercises you want to incorporate into your routine, you can purchase a set of weighted medicine balls to integrate into ab workouts and squats or opt for a dumbbell set to focus on your upper body strength. While weightlifting exercises are a more common use for dumbbells, you can use them to train different areas of your body as well, like your thighs and legs. Going with a hypertrophy program can also support your fitness goals since this type of workout is sure way to put on 15 pounds of mass in just 6 weeks
Fuel Your Workouts With Protein Shakes On The Go
Eating properly is tough when you’re constantly on the go. If you’re trying to improve your overall health, daily diet is an important aspect to focus on. Without the proper amount of protein, your body won’t retain enough fuel to power you through your workouts. Though morning is the best time to eat a protein-heavy meal, it’s tough to find the time to cook a big breakfast.
Instead, protein shakes make an excellent replacement with all the nutrients your body needs to repair and grow muscles. Buy an insulated protein shaker bottle and you can prepare this nutritious drink every morning in less than five minutes. Take it with you on the way to your office or first appointment and stop skipping the most important meal of the day. For those looking to lose weight, protein shakes are perfect for packing in protein without a lot of calories.
Track Your Fitness
There are dozens of fitness trackers available today that can help you record how much exercise you’re really getting every day. For busy entrepreneurs, these devices can remind you when you’re not meeting your fitness goals and motivate you to take a short amount of time to work out. With many of these devices, you can also set goals and track how much weight you’ve lost or the number of calories you’ve burned in your day, which encourages you to keep working as you see the results. Just make sure you skip the CrossFit WOD's because CrossFit sucks for busy entrepreneurs trying to get in healthy and helpful workouts.
Timed Workouts
Hold yourself accountable for working out by committing to a timed workout plan. Set aside just 20 to 30 minutes each day to test out this method for exercise. A common practice amongst those who follow Crossfit, timed workouts focus on three to four workouts that you complete as quickly as possible within a given timeframe. Much like high-intensity interval training, timed workouts allow for little room for breaks to encourage your body to burn off as many calories as possible in a short amount of time.
AMRAP
Another fitfluential exercise method best for people who don’t have a lot of extra time in the day, AMRAP (as many reps as possible) is the inverse of timed workouts. Instead of setting a specific amount of time for yourself, with AMRAP you should select three to four workouts where you do as many repetitions of each exercise as you possibly can. When your muscles start to burn, it doesn’t mean that it’s time to stop. Instead, you should push through this pain until your muscles are physically unable to complete another rep.
Replace Processed Foods With Healthy Snacks
While it’s easy to grab a quick snack like a bag of chips during your busy workday, overconsuming processed snacks leads to extra calorie consumption without adding nutrients to your diet. Ditch the unhealthy food for quick yet nutritious snacks like nuts, edamame or hummus for a protein boost without the saturated fat. You can also incorporate fruit as a snack like apples or pears, or try adding fresh fruit to your favorite morning try adding fresh fruit to your favorite morning protein shake recipe.
Take Mini-Workout Breaks In The Office
If you spend most of your day working in your office, you can incorporate exercise into your daily routine by scheduling several quick breaks throughout the day to do easy workouts. Set aside three 5-minute blocks to do some push-ups, sit-ups or jumping jacks. While you should also make time before or after work for a more dedicated workout, these brief breaks can provide you with much-needed mental breaks while keeping your body active.
