Whether you’re an FIU student, faculty or staff member, you can attest to just how busy our days can be. With homework to do, deadlines to meet and obligations to honor, it’s difficult to find time to complete a workout.
Here are some tips to help fit health and fitness into your busy day:
1. Get an accountability partner
An accountability partner is someone who you trust to hold you accountable for completing your workouts.
This individual may be a workout buddy you meet at the gym and exercise together, or just someone who texts you occasionally to confirm you worked out.
For me, my staff of personal trainers at the Wellness and Recreation Center (WRC) act as my unofficial accountability partners. When they see me leaving the office for the day, they’ll ask if I completed my workout already, or if I’m planning to complete it when I get home.
2. Start small
If your current schedule doesn’t allow for you to complete an hour-long workout, five days per week, start with 10 minutes three times per week.
As you start to build this habit, begin to increase your workout duration and days per week for enhanced health benefits.
3. Get creative
If you don’t have time to hit the gym, try to find ways to incorporate fitness into your day.
For example, instead of taking the elevator to your class, opt for the stairs. Alternatively, ride your bike to campus rather than driving.
One of my favorite ways to incorporate physical activity into my workday is to intentionally park on the top level of the parking garages. Doing so forces me to increase my level of activity by climbing six flights of stairs with bags in my hands.
4. Put it on your calendar
My motto is, “If it’s not on my calendar, it’s not happening.” Therefore, I schedule my workouts like I would any other assignment or appointment. Formally scheduling my workouts helps me to remain committed to reserve that block of time within my hectic schedule.
Over my lunch break, I typically attend one of the many group fitness classes offered at the Wellness and Recreation Center (free for students and members). The beauty about the classes is that I can register for them via the PantherFit mobile app, and the app sends a reminder for the class directly to my phone’s calendar so it’s automatically added to my schedule.
For more information, visit the Wellness and Recreation Center group fitness class schedule.
— By Brittany Baldwin
Brittany Baldwin is a certified personal trainer and group fitness instructor who currently works as the assistant director of fitness at the FIU Wellness and Recreation Center at MMC. This article is part of an FIU News series, featuring Baldwin’s perspective on health and fitness.