Pressed for time?

Pressed for time? Can’t seem to find time to exercise? Here are a few ways to fit exercising into your already busy schedule.

Organize. Plan your day the night before, pack you lunch and your gym bag, and even lay out your clothes for the day. In the morning, put on the clothes you’ve laid out, grab your lunch out of the fridge and head to work. You won’t have to decide what to pack your gym bag because it’ll already be packed and ready to go!

Plan your workouts in advance. Put your training in your calendar and you’ll be accountable to yourself to follow through. At the beginning of each month, schedule all of your workouts at once. Then, cross them off as you complete them. If any are left undone at the end of the month, tack them on to the following month. Make sure you have a contingency plan for bad weather and unscheduled meetings. You're more likely to work out if you have strategies to overcome obstacles.

Do not skip a scheduled workout. It’s a slippery slope. You skip one and soon you begin to miss two or three. Then, you’re not working out at all. Even when I don’t feel like it, I get in the car, go to the gym and change into my workout clothes. Once I’m there, I know that I will begin working out. Sometimes, just changing into my workout clothes changes my mood. Silly but true.

Wake up earlier. These are stolen hours that could be used to improve your health, increase your energy level and jumpstart your day. Yeah, you may have to trade your ritual of reading the morning paper for NPR but it’s well worth it.

Bike/skate/run/walk. Washington, DC is a pedestrian friendly city that allows you to easily walk to your destination. If you’re not in a hurry, try getting off one metro stop early so that you can walk the remainder of the way to your destination. It’s an easy for you to squeeze in a bit of exercise into your daily routine.

Take a break. Use your lunch break to get in a quick run, bike ride or pilates session.

Train with friends. You still get the gab time in without the effects of the cocktail (or reward yourself with one at the end of the training session).

Travel right. Traveling this summer? So often when we vacation, we take break from our healthy diets and fitness routines. For a few easy travel tips to help you stay fit while traveling, read Travel Tips. You’ll learn about mobile pilates equipment and how to setup a mini pilates studio in your hotel room. You’ll even learn how to say “Where’s the gym?” in several languages. Don’t forget to visit the Flat Belly Pilates bookstore and blog for other practice tips!

Meet Our New Instructor

Flat Belly Pilates is pleased to welcome our newest instructor, Sarah Norman, to the team! She is certified through Power Pilates in beginner and intermediate mat and has been teaching for nearly three years to both university students in Greenville, SC and older adults in Memphis, TN. To book an appointment with Sarah, please click here.