How to Get in Shape When You Are Super Busy

Remember…”back in the day”, when you could workout as little or as much as you wanted, eat pretty much whatever you wanted and still looked good naked?

So those days may well be behind you (for good and bad) but I have had this conversation many times with friends, family members and clients. The conversation usually goes something like this…

“Man I really wish I could workout like I used to. I’ve put on quite a few pounds, I feel tired and stressed all the time. I just want to feel better. I’d really love to do something about it but how can I find the time with my job, the kids and all the other stuff I’ve got going on?”

He had gained more than 30 pounds since high school and it was not intentionally. His cholesterol and blood pressure weren’t doing so good either, they were well above the healthy limits. And he even mentioned how lethargic and sometimes even a little depressed he felt from week to week.

I could tell he was ready for a change; “I’d really like to get rid of this,” he said as he grabbed his stomach, “and I want to feel like me again. I just simply don’t have the time workout. How can I find the time with everything I have going on right now?”

Here’s something to cheer you up; just because you are busy, you CAN STILL manage your hectic life AND also managing your health and fitness.

I know this because, I work full time, run a business, have a family of six with all of my kids participating in sports, so it’s kinda crazy at times.

Yet, among all of that I still manage to make health and fitness a priority. Want specifics? This Is How I Make Workouts Happen.

What’s more: I have met and coached many men and women who are in similar situations; married with young children, running their business, dealing with high levels of stress, and have all the other things competing for their time every day.

And, if you’re interested in looking and feeling good again, I can help you too.

I love the following quote:

“
Even if you’re a busy guy, you can drop fat, get healthy, and get into the best shape of your life. All you need is a simplified exercise plan, a progressive set of nutrition habits, and a knowledgeable coach to help guide the process.
John Berardi

1. Find a workout plan that is simple and takes up less of your time.

At some point, you’ve probably picked up a fitness magazine and planned to follow the “guaranteed results”, 12-week program that included 90 minute workouts, 5-6 times per week each and every week… Let’s face it, that just simply may be not practical for you now, let’s take an entirely different approach here.

For example, I recently recommended the following weekly routine to the friend I mentioned above:

2 x 30 mins of resistance exercise – could be body weight exercises
2 x 15 minute interval cardio sessions – outside, treadmill or other cardio
1 x hour low intensity exercise – outdoor walk with the family

2.5 hours per week or 9 hours per week…?

You can see how this minimal approach can save you hours of gym time. In fact this plan takes less than 3 hours per week and can all be done at home if needs be. You can find a way to fit your workouts into your schedule by some clever planning and making some adjustments to your priorities and not sacrificing a significant portion of your day.

In fact, my coaching program is based on this approach. That’s why even the busiest people can get fantastic results in the program.

Another option to consider is my 14-day Fitness Jump Start. This is a incredibly basic daily workout that will take less than 10 minutes per day. You will establish a daily habit of including fitness into your schedule, you will get stronger and I provide nutrition tips along the way.

Did I mention it’s FREE?

Jump Start My Fitness!

2. Get some quality nutrition advice

There’s no arguing that exercise is important to you getting back in shape. However, for the busy, high-stress men and women, nutrition has a higher level of importance and will have the greatest impact.

Learning how to fuel your body properly will just make things easier. You can’t simply rely on protein shakes, brown rice and steamed vegetables for each and every meal. There is nothing wrong with those things, but it is likely your goals have changed and you have to consider the other members of your family when it comes to meals. Your family will likely rebel in a short amount of time, if you try to force them to eat the same meals each and every day…

You can find a wide variety of nutrition related resources here on my site; check them out here: Nutrition: Start Here

Keeping things simple is always the best way to start with change. For the first couple of weeks, try adding one or two nutritional habits to your daily routine. For example:

Increase Water Intake

Getting ample amounts of water, or substituting an empty calorie drink for water instead.
.5 – 1 oz of water for every pound of body weight.
Understand the benefits of staying hydrated.

Daily Multi-vitamin

There’s a pretty good chance that you are nutrient deficient.
1 multi-vitamin/day.
Recommended men & women multi-vitamin

After two weeks of consistently adopting your new habits, introduce a new nutrition habit and then again every two weeks. Add daily habits that are based on how you eat, what to eat, how much too eat and when to eat. Each habit is designed to progressively build on the previous one, day by day, week by week, month by month.

The key: we don’t change too much at once.

By changing just a little at a time, the changes feel small. Some people say it’s almost too small. However, by at the end of the year, your eating habits are completely different. This habit-based approach is by far the most effective way to create long-term change.

Nutrition 101

If you want to learn more about the fundamentals of nutrition, check out the following 7-part series that I have created!

I am a certified Precision Nutrition Level 1 Coach and each week I will send you an email that will cover one easily digestible, essential building block on the fundamentals of nutrition.

The best part? They’re totally free.

Nutrition 101

To check out the free series, just click the button below.

3. Stop overthinking and take more action

If you have a lot of responsibilities and stress in your life, this is how you should consider approaching just about everything. When you were younger, you may have more than enough time to research, and design a exercise and nutrition plan (although a good coach would be able to do this better for you…).

As you’ve gotten older, the priorities in your life have changed. Now you are likely focusing on being a better spouse, giving it your best as a parent, striving to improve at work, maintaining things around the house, and of course “paying the bills”.

Do you really need more shit to figure out? Probably not.

That’s why when it comes to nutrition and fitness you should find a coach who can figure out the thinking and planning for you. By working with a good coach it will make make it easier for you to focus on one thing: DOING (action).

With my most successful clients this is where the biggest impact is made. By trusting in the coaching and following the systems we use you will get you into the best shape of your life. You can do this without adding more stress and agonizing over every detail and each step.

You Can Do This!

If you’re like some of the people that I have worked with in the past, and have let your busy life stand in the way of your health and fitness, I’m here for you.

Bottom line: as we get older, keeping fit and healthy can feel hard. But it doesn’t have to. Even if you’re a busy guy, you can still be a ‘fit guy’.

All you need is a simplified exercise plan, a progressive set of nutrition habits, and a knowledgeable coach to help guide the process.

Every day, through my coaching program, I help men and women prioritize their own health and fitness.

But whether you choose me or not, I do encourage you to do something — anything — as soon as possible.

Life happens faster than you realize and before you know it, that 10 extra pounds can easily become 30 extra pounds. Your current battle with high blood sugar may end up leading to type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease could develop from high levels of cholesterol. By implementing a few simple things into your daily life you could be on the way to losing that first 10 pounds, controlling your blood sugar levels and improving your health in so many ways.

When you put it as simply as that, you shouldn’t ask yourself “how can I find the time to get into shape?” but “how can I make the time?”.

Next step: Get started

If you would like help too get some clarity and to stop stressing about how you can move forward and get some control back of your health, habits and body then my team and I would love to work with you!

In fact, I am currently taking on a group of new clients looking for the same thing, all as part of my Online Nutrition Coaching.

Check it out and let me know how I can help.

Need a Coach?

If you need to find someone that will hold you accountable, answer your questions, help you, and PUSH YOU for the entire duration of your workout! Luckily for you, that’s what me and my team are here for. If you don’t have a coach yet and want one, I’d love to be your coach and help you through a fitness program. I am available to help you reach your goals!

Join The Team Now!