Make time for fitness

“I’m too busy” is the most common excuse we make for missing a workout. Keeping up with jobs, school work, family―after a long day it’s hard to feel motivated to work out, but a busy schedule doesn’t mean you can give up on your fitness routine. Regular physical activity is essential to staying healthy and helping reduce your risk for several types of cancer. Besides physical health benefits, exercise is also beneficial to your mental health by helping reduce stress and sharpen your mind. February is National Cancer Prevention Month and we want to help you prioritize your time, because you’re never too busy to focus on your health. Here are some tips to help get you moving even during a jam-packed day.

1. Make time for exercise in your daily schedule: When you’re setting your daily plan, schedule your workouts like a meeting or doctor’s appointment. If it’s on your daily to-do list, you’re more likely to get it done.
2. Take a healthy break at the office: Beat the afternoon stiffness and fatigue with a little exercise. Go for a brisk walk, take a few laps up and down the stairs, do some leg lifts while sitting in your chair or pushups against your desk. Feel silly? Encourage your colleagues to join you!
3. Have a quick workout on hand: If you get stuck late at the office or traffic steals your gym time, have a short, high-intensity circuit workout ready to go. Try this 11-minute strength and cardio workout that you can do in your living room―even on your busiest day, you can probably spare 11 minutes!
4. Become a good multitasker:
   1. Do a quick circuit while catching up on your favorite TV shows (ex. 20 squats, 15 mountain climbers, 10 push-ups, 5 burpees, repeat 3 times).
   2. If you’re waiting for your kids at a sport or band practice, bring your bike or tennis shoes to go for a ride or a quick walk nearby.
   3. Take your co-workers outside for a walking meeting.
   4. Instead of brunch, happy hour or dinner, plan an activity like a hike, a new fitness class or kayak trip to catch up with friends.

With a little bit of effort and creativity, you can find small increments of time to fit exercise into a busy day. Even if you only have six minutes to spare, it’s better than nothing! To learn more about ways to reduce your cancer risk, visit preventcancer.org.