Happy Tuesday lovelies!

How are you? Are you having a busy start to the week like me? Or just a busy life in general? Lately, I feel like I have so many things on my todo list. I scribble down things at work during the day, have a few lists here and there and usually I only break into a couple things.

I got a new appreciation for making and checking things off my todo list after readings Jessica’s post on Sunday. Can I just say I love this gal!? She is awesome and this was such a great post. I ended up making a master todo list yesterday morning, before 6am, and then a todo list for the day.

fabulous

Like, Jessica, I asked myself a similar question:

What would I be missing out on, if I didn’t do today? What do I need to do to make today fabulous?

A few things on the list include:

  • spending time with Jesus
  • make master todo list
  • start adding to my dream board (much more to come on this!)
  • workout

Work. Out.

Even if you are a new reader (Welcome!), you probably know just by my name that I am a fan of working out. I am a personal trainer and a self-proclaimed fitness fanatic…or enthusiast. I workout for a lot of different reasons, but the main reason is because it makes me feel good. It makes me happy.

So, you can imagine that with a busy life, things have to take the back seat. I try to include some kind of workout in my routine everyday. And yes, I do force myself to take rest days…it’s tough sometimes. There are days that I have to tweak the workout, cut out some time, scale back on what I do. There are days when I have to figure how to ‘fit it all in.’

When I’m running short on time, I run through a few questions

How much time do I have to workout? How much time can I commit to working out? What am I willing to move around to accommodate a workout? What type of workout do I want to do?

I either workout in the morning or in the evening. I don’t workout in the middle of the work day. I sweat  glisten too much for that.

So, if I workout in the morning, it means waking up earlier to accommodate. Which means getting things ready the night before – i.e. laying out clothes, making sure lunch is ready, thinking through breakfast and workout snacks. This is KEY to getting up for morning workouts – PLAN.

Working out after work is a little easier. I usually go straight after work, so I pack my gym clothes and change before I leave the office (show off the muscles on the way back from the bathroom, of course).

After I have my time of day down, I figure out how much time I actually have to spend working out. Usually, during the week, I try to aim for a 20-30 minute work. So 4 words come to mind.

High Intensity Interval Training.

That means tabata workouts, circuits, quickies, workouts with kettlebells, sprints, burpees, and jump ropes. High intensity metabolic full body workouts. I get a great workout, in a short amount of time.

Yesterday, I did 3-5 minute HIIT style workouts (on the blog soon). All 3 were solid enough to be used on their own. The key for me is full body. Can I work my entire body in that short amount of time? My first circuit was a combo of jump rope and push-ups. Second was 4 different ab exercises and burpees. Third was a kettlebell complex. All full body. All got my heart rate up. All felt great.

Then there are those days when I just want a slow workout. I pick out a yoga video. Or just go one big long walk or a few throughout the day. Taking active rest days – because rest days are super important (remember that Jena!).

But I also have days when I just want to spent 45 minutes to an hour working out. I want to try out new moves. Enjoy a longer run. Lift lots of heavy things. And give myself at least 1 day like that each week. To just get lost in the workout.

How do I fit it all in?

I make it fit. I make sure I am intentional about the the type of workout I do and the time I have in which to do it. I throw away the list one day out of the week and just enjoy the workout. I take active rest days. I make it a priority Heck, I even multitask some days – hello, walking treadmill at work..

But, I also am a firm believer in doing what works for you with fitness. Maybe you are not a fan of kettlebells or HIIT workouts. Maybe you prefer an hour of yoga every day or a long hike. And that is what you make time for each day. AWESOME! Get after it.

Bottom line: move each day. make it something you love to do. don’t always stress about the time. be intentional.

I’m FINALLY linking up with The Fit Pepper and The Fit Switch for their weekly link-up, The Fit Dish. So inspired by these ladies. Be sure to head on over to their blogs and take a look at all the other awesome posts!

– jena.

p.s. How do you fit it all in?

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