Fitness Tips for Busy Professionals

You are a go-getter, a hard worker, and you like to attack your professional career head on. What tends to happen, is that you focus so much on your career, that you stop taking care of yourself or your body, and your health begins to show it. Well the beautiful thing is that you don't need to completely alter how you live your life to get in better shape, instead you can make small changes over time to create the life, and body, you want.

Here are a few tips to help you busy professionals get and stay fit while continuing to pursue your career!

1. Park farther from the office. Parking farther away adds extra steps to your day, which adds up over time. You can take it from parking at the opposite end of the parking lot all the way to parking down the block! You could also try commuting to work as well for even more of an exercise benefit!

2. Turn "Lunchtime" into "Exercise Time." That's right, you can take your lunch and do something other than run to the store or spend too much time sitting at a fast food joint getting food. If you work close to a gym, then you can spend your hour lunch there getting a highly efficient workout in. We are definitely not saying to skip eating lunch, you should obviously eat something before or after the gym to help account for the work your body will put in at the gym, we are just saying workout during that hour free time and eat at your desk. You could also try a quick workout at the office too (more below).

3. Find a Class. Being a busy professional, it may be tough to find time to plan your workouts for your lunch hour or after work. One of the best ways to get in a workout is find a class that you like. Most gyms (including ours) offer an array of styles and times that can help fit your interests, workout style, and schedule. This can be anything from a Spin class, an aerobics class like BODYPUMP, or even a HIIT/Strength training course. There's tons of classes out there, our gyms offer anywhere from 50-100 unique classes a week, so there's definitely something for you.

4. Take the stairs. Like we said earlier, it's the little things. Even if you only work on the second floor, taking the stairs instead of the elevator helps elevate your heart rate (see what I did there?), get your muscles going, and adds to your step count, all three of which are good for your overall health.

5. Do a workout at the office. The tough part to being a busy professional, is that you're a busy professional. Whether you have a jam-packed schedule or you work too far from the gym, taking the time to drive to the gym and get in a lightning fast workout can be more effort than the workout itself. Instead, opt for an at-the-office workout. You don't even need equipment, as there are loads of bodyweight exercises that can help you stay fit at the office. Should you opt to use equipment, start with small stuff to ensure you're going to continue using it (i.e. small dumbbells, resistance bands, stability ball, etc.).

6. Make your office ergonomic. There has been a TON of information and products around ergonomics over the past several years, and for good reason. Having an ergonomic chair and desk setup alone can pay massive dividends for your health. Our bodies are not built to be stuck in a standard office chair all day, so by improving your chair to be in more of a natural posture, your health (and your back) will thank you. Having an ergonomic setup has also been shown to help boost your productivity, so there's a win-win for you go getters out there.

Start small. If you haven't hit the gym in a while, start with #1 and #4, and you'll be amazed at how better you will feel a few weeks down the road. From there you can work your way to getting in the gym a few days a week. Do what works best for YOU!