Archive for the tag - time

7 Ways To Make Time For Exercise!

December 26, 2014 By

musclegroupsThere are only a few days left in the calendar year, and I know that many people are making resolutions to exercise more. And in making those exercise resolutions, I know that many of you are wondering: Where will I find the time to workout?!

The truth is, most of us will never find time to workout. When was the last time you found time to do anything? Instead, we make time for our priorities. It’s no different with exercise.

Having said that, there are plenty of ways to make time for exercise in your already busy schedule. Here are a few ways to do it:

  1. Have an active commute. Instead of driving or taking the bus to work, perhaps you can opt for a more active commute. Many cities have dedicated bike lanes - or you may even be able to walk, jog or run (if your office has a shower). Turning your commute into a workout catches two birds with one net.
  2. Exercise during commercial breaks. Whether you watch network TV or Hulu, most shows still have commercial breaks. So instead of having to pick between your favorite programs and working out, do both!  During commercial breaks, try cycling between these exercises: 10 crunches, 10 air squats, 10 burpees. Keep repeating until the commercial break ends.
  3. Exercise during lunch. If you get a lunch break, turn it into a workout. Check to see if there are any fitness classes in your area - or sneak out to a nearby gym. Run up and down the office stairwell. You can even go for a walk. As an added benefit, you’ll have more energy for the rest of your workday.
  4. Have a 15-minute workout. Workouts don’t need to be endless and long to be effective. By using high intensity interval training (which cycles between periods of low and high intensity), you can get an extremely effective workout in a short amount of time. For high intensity interval training workouts that you can do at home, download Davey Wavey’s Bootcamp Workout. Use discount code “youtube” to save 25% during checkout.
  5. Have active dates. Instead of meeting your friends or a significant other for dinner and a movie, do something that gets your heart pumping and your blood flowing. Take a class. Go rock climbing at a gym. Play soccer or football in the park. Bonus: It’s also way more fun.
  6. Get up earlier. If your day is already feeling full, sometimes the best thing to do is simply set an alarm. Wake up a little earlier and get your workout in. As difficult as it is to wake up early, I promise that you won’t regret your workout when it’s done! A morning workout is also more energizing than a cup of coffee!
  7. Put workouts into your calendar. If you’re a busy person, plan exercise time in advance by scheduling workout appointments. Do this a month or two in advance so that you can build your schedule around these commitments.

How do you balance a busy schedule and exercise? Let us know in the comments below!

 

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How Long Does It Take To Get In Shape?

May 1, 2014 By

Dear Davey,

I’m 20 years old and my body fat percentage is about 25. By eating healthy and getting enough sleep, how long will it take for me to get a six pack?

Sincerely,
Ahmed

Chris-R.-Shirtless-by-Rick-Day-2Hey Ahmed,

By combining a healthy, balanced diet that supports your exercise routine with plenty of sleep, rest and recovery, you’ll certainly improve the way you look and feel.

Most trainers will recommend losing no more than 1 - 2 pounds per week. Although this recommendation may seem slow, remember that fast weight loss is often associated with drastic, unhealthy diet and exercise measures that are both dangerous and unsustainable. Unless you’re being medically supervised, the American Council on Exercise recommends 1 percent body fat loss per month.

Six packs become visible at very low body fat percentages - likely under the 10% range. To move from 25% to 10%, a very rough recommendation would be 15 months. However, everybody and every body is different and there are many factors involved. All of us experience setbacks and challenges - and sometimes we reach plateaus in our results.

While initial losses and body fat may be relatively easy, it’s very difficult to achieve body fat percentages in the lower ranges. You’ll need to exercise often, intensely and follow a strict diet. For a lot of people, this type of exercise and diet plan is unrealistic.

Rather than being motivated by the aesthetics of a six pack, let the other benefits of exercise drive your progress. While there’s no denying that a six pack looks great, we’re not all going to look like Ken dolls. And that’s okay. At the end of the day, a healthier lifestyle means that you’ll feel better, have increased energy, perform better on daily activities and so much more. Six pack or not, those are all great things worth reaching for.

Love,
Davey

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How Much Time Should I Spend in the Gym?

May 27, 2013 By

fitness-model-workout-routine-1People often ask me how much time they should spend in the gym.

The truth is, the answer varies from person to person and it depends on your goals, your schedule and your current gym commitment. There’s certainly no short answer, but a new study by researchers at Teachers College, Columbia University is shedding some new light.

Most people understand that exercise is associated not just with improved physical health, but also improved mental health. But is more exercise always better? The answer may be a bit surprising.

After examining data from 7,674 adults, researchers determined that 2.5 - 7.5 hours of exercise per week may be the sweet spot. Exercising more than 7.5 hours was associated with diminished mental health and sharp increases in depression or anxiety.

Because this is the first study confirming that too much exercise can be related to poor mental health, more research is needed. It’s unclear if the poor mental health is because of the excessive exercise (perhaps a symptom of overtraining) or if people with poor mental health exercise excessively as a way to elevate their mood. In other words, it remains to be seen whether or not there is a causal relationship.

It’s also worth noting that more exercise may not be better for improved physical health either. A handful of new studies speculate, for example, that running more than 30 miles per week may diminish its longevity benefits. These findings are especially troubling for endurance athletes and marathoners who may train upwards of 100 miles per week.

In a nutshell, spending time exercising is a good thing - and it can help boost your mental and physical health. But, like anything else, exercise is best in moderation.

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You Get 1,440 Minutes Each Day.

February 12, 2013 By

Let’s take a moment to put things in perspective.

AxaAv9mCEAE7fLt.jpg_largeConsider this number: 1,440.

It’s a relatively big number.

If you had 1,440 oranges, you could make 41 gallons of orange juice. If it were dollars, you could buy enough gasoline to drive my car the distance of New York City to Sydney, Australia. If you were 1,440 years old, you would have lived to see Alboin, king of Longobarden, poisoned by his wife in the year 573.

So now consider this: There are 1,440 minutes in each day.

Though time has a way of flying, that’s a lot of minutes. Obviously, each of us can (and will) occupy those minutes with the things that are important to us - like work, family, friends and our various commitments. There’s grocery shopping, hair cuts and doctor appointments. Our schedules are undoubtedly tight.

Lastly, consider that this number: 20.

It’s a tiny number, unassuming in its size. Compared to 1,440, 20 almost disappears. But 20 also happens to be the number of minutes of moderate intensity daily exercise recommended by the government.

Of the things important to us, surely our health is somewhere on the list. And so surely all of us can set aside just 20 of our 1,440 minutes to honor our bodies with the movement they crave. After all, a 20 minute workout sure as hell beats a 0 minute workout.

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Yesterday You Said Tomorrow.

April 17, 2012 By

This morning, I came across a great Nike ad. It’s just four words:

Yesterday you said tomorrow.

The ad certainly resonates - and it may sound familiar to you.

When it comes to fitness, we’re often full of good intentions. It can be an intention to join a gym, attend a fitness class, download a workout program or to start running again. But our intentions don’t always meet action.

The excuses come up. For a lot of us, it’s about time. There just aren’t enough hours in the day. Or maybe it’s about insecurities. I’ll join a gym when I lose 5 pounds. Or maybe it’s about fatigue. I’d hit the gym but I just don’t have the energy today. The excuses are innumerable.

And so we put it off… until tomorrow.

If we spend our lives waiting for the ideal circumstances to achieve our fitness goals, we’ll wait forever. Instead of paralyzing ourselves with these excuses, we just need to take the first step - even if the conditions don’t feel perfect. Maybe you’re still busy, insecure or tired - but, by exercising, you’ll extend your life (and thus have more time), build confidence and increase your energy. It’s win-win, so what are you waiting for?

Today is the tomorrow that you promised yourself yesterday. So get started. Right now.

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7 Tips: Finding Time for Exercise.

January 3, 2011 By

In actuality, it’s not so much about finding time to workout as it is about creating time to workout. If you take a look at your typical schedule, there’s probably not a whole lot of time where you’re standing in your apartment doing nothing. We find uses for our time, whether it’s building our careers, spending time with friends, or even watching TV or playing on Grindr.

As such, most people can rightfully claim that they don’t have the time to workout. But as I’ve said before, either create time for exercise now - or find time for disease and health issues later.

So, how does one create time for exercise in the new year? It’s not as hard as it might seem. Here are a few tips:

  1. Write out your schedule. Grab a few sheets of paper - this is one of the exercises in my Ultimate Guide to Working Out - and plot out your daily commitments, Monday through Sunday. Look for spots of available time.
  2. Recognize that something else might need to go. Even after following tip #1, most people will find that they’re still hard pressed to find gym time. Tuesday nights might be great, for example, but that’s when Glee is on. If your schedule is fairly full, then there’s probably going to be a trade-off. Something else might need to go - and in the big scheme of life, few things are as important as health.
  3. Schedule your gym times. Build standing gym-dates into your calendar. You’ll be able to plan around your allotted gym time, ensuring that you don’t overbook yourself.
  4. Don’t cut into sleep time. Shaving a few hours off of your sleep time, either at night or early in the morning, is tempting - but it’s the worst place you can look to free up extra time (unless, of course, you’re already sleeping more than 8 hours). Most of us are living with sleep deficits as it is, so don’t cut time here. Note: You can shift your sleep times - i.e., get up at 6AM instead of 7AM, but only if you go to bed an hour earlier.
  5. Sneak in a gym trip during your lunch break. If you have a gym near your place of employment, hit the weights and/or treadmill during your lunch hour.
  6. Put an active spin on your existing commitments. Maybe your schedule is already booked, but there are opportunities to up the activity level for your existing commitments. For example, if you are meeting up with a friend - go on a hike, climb a rock wall or just take a walk. If you’re not willing to miss Glee, make use of the commercial breaks for exercise.
  7. Maximize your workout. Going to the gym doesn’t need to be a 2 hour commitment. Give yourself a quality, efficient workout to make the most of your time.

We’re all busy. But “busy” is not a reasonable excuse to put off going to the gym. I hope these tips help you manage your tip and get the most out of your workout.

Any other tips? Let me know in the comments below!

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You Don’t Have Time NOT to Workout.

October 1, 2010 By

One of the most common excuses that I hear is, “I don’t have time to workout.”

It’s an interesting excuse because it’s so obviously untrue.

Did you know that Barack Obama spends 1 hour a day exercising? If the leader of the free world has time to hit the gym, then so do you.

But let’s dig deeper. Exercise extends your life and it prevents debilitating disease.

There is a famous Harvard study (graph pictured) that shows the relationship between physical exercise and longevity. It’s simple: Work out and you’ll live longer. You’ll have more time to do the things you love.

When it comes to disease and illness, think about how debilitating a head cold is. It keeps you out of work, off your routine and prevents you from tackling your busy schedule. Now imagine how debilitating a stroke would be. Or a heart attack. Exercise helps prevent all of that by lowering “bad” cholesterol, enhancing blood flow and helping your heart function more efficiently. Exercise also helps prevent Type II Diabetes, Obesity (which can lead to a number of time-sucking medical issues) and osteoporosis, among other things.

So it’s not a matter of not having enough time to exercise. It’s not having enough time not to exercise.

It’s also about making time. Chances are, you don’t have an hour of nothingness time built into your schedule that you could dedicate to exercise. It’s about moving things around and giving things up - like not watching Jersey Shore or America’s Next Top Model. It’s about prioritizing you, your body and your health.

The bottom line: You don’t have time not to work out.

Any questions?

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Exposed: How Long Does it Take to Get Results from Working Out?

August 21, 2010 By

Dear Davey,

How long should it take to see results from working out? I’m relatively new to the exercise game. I’ve been doing resistance training and cardio for about 4 weeks. Thanks for any advice you have.

Impatient in Iowa

Thanks for such a great question!

First, Mr. Iowa, we have to define results. Your “results” are likely different from the next person, and obviously it is all dependent on your fitness goals. Some people exercise for weight loss while others are looking for (if you can believe it) weight gain. Some want bigger muscles and others want improved energy or endurance.

Second, we have to determine the best way to measure those results. Here are just a handful of ideas:

  • How your clothes fit
  • Tape measure
  • Body fat percent
  • Cholesterol
  • Improved level of activity (don’t get winded as easily, can lift more weight around the house, etc.)
  • Scale
  • Sleep (if you’re sleeping through the night)

Obviously, there are a number of methods to measure your results and these methods will be dependent on your goals. If your goals are building muscle mass and increasing strength, for example, then I’d recommend a tape measure as your method (this is much better than weighing yourself). On a biweekly basis, you can measure the width of the muscles that you are trying to build and track the results.

Third, consider diet. Does your diet support the results you are looking to achieve? If you are looking to build muscle, are you taking in the right amount of protein? If you are looking to drop a few pounds, does your diet support a calorie deficit? A lot of people have great fitness goals that they are working towards in the gym - but then they ignore those goals when it comes to food. It’s like trying to swim upstream. On the flip side, if your diet supports the change that you are looking to produce, your results will be expedited.

Fourth, we need to factor in the amount of time and energy you’re spending exercising. Obviously, someone who is working out intensely 5 days a week is going to see results faster than someone that is spending 20 minutes a week working out. Not surprisingly, there is a positive correlation between effort and results. If you are working out less frequently - this isn’t necessarily a bad thing - then just know that your time line will be extended.

Having said all of that, most beginners will start to see results in one way, shape, or form after the first 6 to 8 weeks of exercise. Of course, different muscles build at different rates - and so larger arms will be noticeable before, say, more developed abdominal muscles (abs build very slowly). Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day. And your results won’t happen overnight. Moreover, many of the changes are so slow, they’re hard to track with the naked eye. Be sure to measure with something a little more objective than your bathroom mirror.

Keeping all of this in mind, it’s important to recognize that exercise isn’t about setting a goal, measuring against it, achieving it and stopping. It’s about making exercise a regular, sustainable and integral part of your life.

If you’re looking to get started (or change things up), my Total Body Assault program is a great way to start. For a limited time, use promo code “results” to save 25%.

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Best Time of Day to Exercise.

July 12, 2010 By

Dear Davey,

What time of the day is best for working out? Is it better to do it first thing in the morning, around lunch time or in the evening or night?

Confused,
John

Dear John,

I get this question a lot. And it’s no wonder: The research on exercise time is divided and contradictory. Body performance (i.e., lung capacity, hormone levels, body rhythms, temperature, etc.) peaks around 6pm for most people. On the other hand, research on habits formation points to early morning workouts. It’s easier to create a routine and avoid distractions in the AM.

I like to take a different approach. In my opinion, the best time for you to exercise is when you have the most energy.

I’m a morning person. At 6AM, I’m ready to go. But by 6PM, I’m thinking about dinner and pajamas. In spite of whatever the research might say about body performance, I’d probably fall asleep on the treadmill.

Know yourself. Are you a morning person? A night owl? When do you feel like your energy levels peak? Whatever your answer is - that’s probably the best time for you to exercise. You’ll be able to give your routine a 100% commitment.

And really, when all is said and done, any time is a great time to hit the gym.

Love,
Davey Wavey

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