This week’s already off to a busy start.  I hit the ground running on Sunday to take a trip into NYC to visit my bestest friend and spend some much needed time with her.  We hit up a class at Bari Method (the micro class which was supposed to be low impact, but was definitelyyyy not low intensity) and then grabbed food at Chelsea Market.  After walking around all day and hitting 205% of my daily activity goal, I was done.

Monday brought more fun with a full day of powering through proposal responses and our Girls on the Run end of the year ice cream party.  Besides running around on the playground with the girls, I learned that Reeses Pieces have surprisingly good macros, so I wouldn’t call the day a total wash.  I even hit the gym at 5am just to get my sweat on and make sure I got it out of the way.

Today was a little bit of a different story.  I’m off to Dallas for a workshop, which meant a 5:00 am wakeup call to get my butt to the airport.  This also means no a.m. workout for this little lady.  Not knowing my schedule once I get in to Dallas is also making it hard to plan a workout in advance, so I’m trying to be as proactively active as possible.  So, how do you get a workout in when you have literally no time to workout?  Here’s how:

• Get on your feet.  Walk.  Walk around everywhere.  I am notorious for doing laps around the airport terminal before a flight.  I hate the thought of just sitting endlessly on the plane for hours on end and sitting even more before it when I have ample room to move my legs.  So I’ll walk around the terminal like it’s a track, headphones in, luggage towed behind.
• Use the restroom to your advantage.  I used to do this all the time when I worked in an office.  Every time I’d go to the bathroom (which was often, gotta stay hydrated yo) I’d do 20 bodyweight squats.  It didn’t take me more than maybe a minute extra, but I did them.  By the end of the day, I’d easily totaled over 100 squats.  Not too shabby if you ask me.  If I was alone too, I would wipe of the bathroom sink counter and do some incline push-ups quickly too.  No shame in my fitness game.
• Wall squats will be your friend.  If you’ve got a blank wall and you’ve got some time, isometric sit it out.  Squat yourself down with your back against the wall and just hold it.  Believe you me, you’ll be crying out in pain after a bit.  I used to do this while waiting for my lunch to heat up in the microwave.  However long it took to cook was how ever long I held it.  To make it extra challenging, try balancing on one leg at a time and then switch halfway through.
• Use your lunch time wisely.  If you’re lucky and get some time off for lunch, this can be a game changer.  If you’re even luckier and have access to a gym during lunch, by all means use this to the fullest extent.  If not, you’ve still got some time.  Download an app like the Nike Training Club app or even bring a mat to the office and get some yoga on during the break.  Never apologize for doing something that betters you.  Heck, you may even get your coworkers on board too for a lunch jog or mini-sweat sesh.
• If you’re traveling, take advantage of classes.  If you don’t have access to a gym, no problem.  Tons of places offer workout classes in major cities and even more of them offer a discount for your first one.  Sign up for a soul cycle class before your morning meeting or hit up a hot yoga class before you head back to your hotel.  There are options and it’s such a good way to plan in advance to make sure you’re getting something in, even if you don’t think you’ll have the time in your day.  It’s like a set meeting you can’t break.

Sure, there are still days when you can’t even get up from your desk for 8+ hours straight (here’s looking at you last week), but you can still do little things for you.  You are your most important asset.  Not your job.  Not your fancy things.  You.  So, make the time and you’ll thank me later when you did.

-sj