How does exercise affect sleep study? If you are like me and have a busy schedule each day, finding time to workout can be hard! For me exercising has become second nature and an outlet that truly enjoy. I include my workout as a part of my daily routine. However if you are just starting out, this may take some time to get use to, but don’t worry it will happen. The first key to living an active lifestyle is to plan and making exercise a priority not just option! It’s super easy to cancel your workout when get busy with school, feel tired, or have other plans that come up. But if you keep canceling and viewing exercising as only an option then you won’t achieve your fitness goals.
Here are 5 ways to fit and maintain exercising despite a busy schedule:
- Set your alarm: Yes you know what’s coming your going to have to wake up a half hour or hour earlier than normal, which allow you to get your workout in first thing in the morning and check that off your list.
- If you’re a night owl like me, and don’t really enjoy waking up early (I still do it but it’s not my top 5 favorite things to do)
- you may need to start going to bed earlier.So that you can still get enough sleep and avoid waking up like a zombie monster! Another option for those who just CANT wake up every morning is to plan your workouts in the evening.
- The tricky thing with this is as additional plans arise throughout the day you may be more inclined to skip your workout and join in on the plans.
- Which is why I usually love doing my major workouts in the morning. I end up doing them in the evening do to the early start of days now as a resident. Another helpful tip that works for me is having my exercise gear ready to go beside my bed. That way in the morning I can put them on and go! Stick with it, it gets easier and will become a part of your morning routine.
Planning and squeezing:
- I like to have a general idea of what I’d like to accomplish in my workouts which is why I usually sit down every Sunday evening and quickly jot down what I’d like to do each day I workout. This can be as simple as writing legs-Monday HIIT-Tuesday and so on. It pays to know what you want to work on so your not wasting your time during your workout figuring out whAt to do. Also, listen to your body for example. If your legs are overly sore it’s okay to change up your plan and move leg-day to another day OR take a rest day. It’s important to know the difference between soreness and pain especially for you beginners, so pay attention to your body.
- Here comes the squeezing part your all probably wondering about. I do lighter exercises for fat burn about 3-4 times a week and I love being able to squeeze those exercises in during different times in the day. If you have a half hour or hour lunch break, grab your sneakers and go for a quick walk.
- Doing something light is better than nothing at especially on those busy days where you can’t possibly fit in a longer/harder workout. If you have stairs at your school or workplace opt to take the stairs instead of the elevator. You may find yourself winded when you first start off but I guarantee if you keep going you’ll notice that it gets easier and your not out of breath. Small changes by squeezing in light exercise like this can make all the difference in your life.
Multi-tasking
- : There are going to be some days where for you working professions that all you want to do after work is go home and watch your favorite TV series.
- (I want to do that now but studying comes first haha) So when you have settled down to watch your TV show, make sure to put sneakers on for some commercial exercise. Each time a commercial comes on, make a point to some push-ups, crunches, squats etc.
- Doing a little but with each commercial break can add up to almost 20min of exercise in an hour long show! Okay now for us students, when I want still be productive with my schoolwork but I need to get in a light workout I like to walk on the treadmill or cycle on a bike and review my notes, PowerPoint slides, flash cards whatever it may be so that I being productive but also getting my sweat on. It doesn’t hurt to try!
- Sleep: I mentioned briefly above that going to sleep earlier will help with waking up early. But I’d like to chat quickly about the benefits of getting adequate rest for your health and how sleep can benefit your workouts. Getting adequate rest helps keep the cranky-ness at bay. Sleep also helps with emotional regulation, so that when we are overly tired we’re not snapping, randomly crying, or laughing uncontrollably. Additionally getting enough sleep can help you maintain and even loose weight. There are two parts to this behavioral and physiological. If we’re overtired we are less likely to have energy or be in the MOOD to workout and forget about cooking a healthy meal.
- On the physiologic side, the hormone leptin plays a key role in making us feel full. When we are sleep deprived leptin levels drop. Resulting in us feeling more hungrier when we are tired, which could lead to possible weight gain. Lastly, exercise can add in helping us fall asleep faster and get more restful sleep. Studies have shown that participants who exercise regularly fall into deeper sleep. Ultimately, our bodies reap mutualistic benefits when we exercise and sleep!
Food:
- Let’s face it junk food is everywhere! Many times processed foods may be our only options at work or school if we have not prepared anything to eat.
- So the next time you know your going to be away from home for many hours make sure to pack healthy snacks and even a meal to keep those temptations at bay.
- I hear many people telling me that they want to reward themselves for making it through that 2 hour biochemistry lecture or long stressful day at work.
- You know it’s perfectly fine to reward yourself with what you want whether it be a chocolate shake or candy bar once In a while, just don’t let it become a habit. That’s where many people run into trouble. “The chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken”
Me personally I LOVE sweets, but just because I may want sweets when I see it or smell it doesn’t mean I reward myself with what I want/crave all the time.
I’ll usually opt for a healthier option like a piece of fruit with my favorite nut butter or a piece of dark chocolate, which satisfies my sweet tooth.
I hope these tips help ya’ll incorporate and maintain exercising with your busy routines, I know you can do it!
With love xoxo,
Janelle