Written by: Kim Kisner

You have great intentions to exercise. You set goals for yourself. You want to feel better and work toward your health. But every day, it seems like every hour is scheduled, and then you fall into bed each night and do it again the next day. Sound familiar?

All too often, exercise goes by the wayside because other things take priority. But among all of these important things you must do daily is also take care of your body. You only get one, and you live in it your entire life, so it’s paramount that you keep it healthy.

Following are ten tips to help you work fitness into your day. They may not all work for you, but hopefully, you can take one or two or a handful and put them into practice.

Do Short Exercise Bites

Take ten minutes in the morning before the shower, ten minutes mid-morning, again in the afternoon, and if you can – in the evening. You can find ten minutes! These exercise bites add up, and bonus, they help stave off the energy slump you may feel during a workday and get your blood and your mind pumping again!

Make Your Commute Work for You

If possible, change your daily commute to walking or biking a few times a week. If you take the bus, get off a few stops earlier and walk.

Work with a Trainer

This will give you accountability and something to show up for, so you don’t drive by the gym on the way home and decide to skip it and sit on the couch. Trainers can help keep you motivated to stick with your fitness journey.

Make Family Time Fitness Time

Put down your phones and iPads, turn off the TV, and take a family walk or a family bike ride. Take a dance class together as a family. Create in-home family fun workouts … mom does ten jumping jacks while the rest of the family holds a plank and switch. Get everyone involved. The best thing you can do is teach your kids to keep moving and make it part of their lifestyle – and yours!

Workout While You Watch

Have a favorite show or two that you can’t miss? Make that exercise time! Grab a few dumbbells and a mat and get to work on some basic sit-ups, Russian twists, squats, bicep curls, and tricep push-backs. Boom!

Park Farther Away Everywhere You Go

If you drive to work, find the farthest parking space from the door. Do the same at the grocery store, the gym, and your apartment. You’ll be amazed at how many steps you can get in if you put this into practice regularly. Every step counts!

Take your Lunch Break Outside

Make this a habit, and you’ll get some great weekly workout time in. Go outside and walk. Weather bad or too hot? Find a place to walk in the building. Take a lunchtime yoga class. Go to the corporate gym if there is one.

Delegate

Ask your spouse to cook dinner a few nights a week and allocate dishwashing to the kids. If you’re a manager at work, ask for help when needed and take sixty minutes for the gym. Delegating at work doesn’t just benefit you. It empowers your employees.

Make Your Work Time Work for You

Sit on a stability ball at work, or better yet, get a standup desk. You’ll burn more calories.

Schedule A Workout Date with Yourself

Schedule workouts into your day. Put them into your Outlook calendar, day planner, scheduler, or whatever you use to keep track of daily events. Set a reminder up so that you don’t “work through” the workout. Treat it like a meeting that you cannot reschedule.