Fitting Exercise into a Jam Packed Schedule

Last week I had to hobble my way into the doctor’s office due to a really lame, un-flattering stumble into a pothole while wearing high heels. Luckily I didn’t fall completely on my face but it sure did a number on my big toe, foot and ankle.  I had been icing it for a few days and wanted to make sure I didn’t do any serious damage. The doctor ran through the basic series of questions and when he asked if I exercise I happily answered, “Yes, about five to six days a week for at least 45 minutes.”

A few months ago I would have had to hang my head in shame and explain how I’m a working mother trying to balance a job, a business, the kids and a family and how I just can’t seem to fit it into my schedule. I then would have had to explain that I would sometimes get on the treadmill or try a quick video workout but nothing seemed to get me motivated to continue. I often would get bored and I was simply unmotivated.

But this day in the doctor’s office, I was able to say yes, aside from the few days I had to rest my foot I am exercising!

I made it a point after the “layoff”. I decided that I needed to work in a workout routine into my new WAHM schedule not only to get fit but I knew it would be a great stress reliever. But I just didn’t know what would be the best exercise for me to do that would keep me motivated. I’m one of those people that needs to see instant results, I need to be able to see my improvement and I need to do something that will really push me. So that immediately eliminated running on the treadmill and most workout videos. With those, I would rarely push myself and would rarely sweat. My husband said that I wasn’t pushing myself which was true.

My husband has been working out with the P90x videos and I tried those, granted I only did the phase 1 – 2 video but I was quickly bored by the same routine every day.

So I decided to try something different and convinced my husband to order the Insanity Total Body Conditioning Program by Shaun T.  If you’ve seen the infomercials you know that Insanity consists of some intense high-impact routines guaranteed to get you fit in a short amount of time.

And it actually works for me. After the first video I was able to track my progress, in fact I could feel muscles I didn’t know existed. Through these intense workouts I can track my improvement as the workouts get easier. And best of all it’s only taking 45 minutes out of my day. That is less than the time it took to drive to work every morning.  

So when do I exercise? The best time for my new schedule is to exercise around 10 or 11 in the morning right before lunch. This gives me plenty of time in the early morning and afternoon to get work done before picking up my daughter from school.