midlifejourney.com

Exercise? Who has the time. Life is filled with so many responsibilities: work, family, children, grandchildren?! Boomers run around trying to get it all done just as fast as everyone else. But having entered the “midlife years” it’s even more important to exercise. The middle age body’s metabolism begins to slow down and if you want to keep in shape you have to take time to work on it.

I know — one more thing to pile on to all the others. But think of it this way: if keeping yourself healthy and fit becomes priority #1, then everything else you do—work, family, kids actually becomes easier because you have more energy. (It seems paradoxical but if you are really tired, the best way to get your energy back is not to sleep, but to exercise. Take a walk around the block before you hit the hay. You will actually sleep better.)

The big question is, “How do you find the time to exercise?” You know you should. You agree it’s the right thing to do to stay healthy and on top of your game. But how do you squeeze the exercise slot into your schedule? Here are a few tips that might help.

1. Be realistic. Look at your calendar and your current time commitments and find a time where there may be flexibility. You might not find an hour, but you might find fifteen minutes at lunchtime. Use that for a short walk. Find short periods of time in your day and use those effectively. If you are shopping, park at a distance from the store’s front door and get a brisk walk in. Take the stairs rather than the elevator.

2. Get up a half hour earlier. This may or may not be possible, but it’s worth considering.

3. Lay out your exercise clothes the night before. If you have a hard time getting motivated for exercise in the early morning, arrange your shoes, socks, shorts and shirt on a chair and set it between your bed and the door. You’ll have to walk by them to get to the bathroom. Might be just the “nudge” you need.

4. If you can’t make it to the gym, consider some of these simple exercises mentioned in these great articles.

• Stretching Exercises you can do at your desk
• Five Quick Exercises you can do in no time
• Isometric Moves for the workplace

Keeping yourself healthy is worth the effort. If it’s a priority, you will find the time. Make it so and you will be the better and stronger for it.