Q: I have a very busy schedule which leaves me very little time for exercise. I would really like to lose weight but don’t know what options I have outside of quitting my job to make time to work out. What’s the least amount of time I need to exercise to see results and what type of exercise should I be doing?

A: Well first let me tell you, you don’t need to quit your job to exercise. It just has to be placed higher on your priority list. Time is one of the biggest set backs people have with dedicating themselves to a healthy life style. We are so overwhelmed these days with all the new advances in technology. Remember when you would wait all day to hear back from someone after you called them? Well now you can send a text, email, tweet, face book message and hear back from them in a matter of seconds. This has created more expectations and demands from our bosses, friends and families.

These rises in expectations have made most people lose track of their priorities and start reacting to life and all its demands. We find ourselves saying yes to more then we can handle just because we don’t want people to think we can’t do something. Soon our day is filled with numerous activities that result in us getting no where fast. When I sit down with my clients and start writing down all the activities they do in a day or week, we usually find several activities that could easily be skipped or delegated to someone else. What you must understand is that if you don’t make you your most important client, you will find yourself 10 years older in the same situation or worse wondering where the time went.

You must remember your body is your temple. If it isn’t made top priority everything will suffer. I know you’ve heard the saying “Where there is a will, there is a way”. I am sure if I told you I had backstage passes to your favorite singer’s show, sports event, actor, or model you would move things around. I’m know most of you make time to watch your favorite T.V show so you have to be that important. I never accept the excuse of time as a reason not to exercise. The most important question you have to ask your self is, “how important is getting healthy”? If it’s not important you won’t make time, if it is you will. Put simply, NO EXCUSES. Once you have made the decision to put your health on the top of your priority list we can move on.

When it comes to working out you don’t have to spend hours in the gym to get results. You just have to be as productive as possible with the time you have. Also exercise is accumulative. You don’t have to do a full hour in one setting. You can split it up into segments. You can do 30 minutes of cardio in the morning and 30 minutes of resistance training at night. If you are short on time circuit training is for sure one of the best methods you can use. Circuit training allows you to build and improve lean muscle while at the same time increasing your aerobic capacity. Circuit training is performing several exercises back to back with no rest in between. This will allow you to gain the benefits of aerobic activity (with oxygen) while performing anaerobic exercise (without oxygen).

Circuit training also allows you to do more exercises in a smaller amount of time burning more fat faster. So if you are one of those people who are really crunched for time circuit training is a great way to get a fast work out in and still achieve great results. There are several methods you can use in doing circuit training. You can do a routine that just targets certain muscles like chest, triceps and shoulders, a lower body circuit or you can do a full body circuit. The most important thing is that you do not stop moving. You must go immediately from one exercise to the next with no break in between. So it’s a good idea to have all of your weights in place before you start. Here is a sample of a full body circuit you can do if you are at a beginner or intermediate level of training.

Inch worms 15 -20reps
Plank - hold 30-60 seconds
Superman’s 15-20 reps
Push ups 15-20 reps
Pull ups 15-20 reps
Squats 15-20 reps
Mountain climbers 30-60 seconds
Alternating lunges 30-60seconds
Bicep curl to shoulder press 15-20 reps
Triceps dips 15- 20 reps
Leg raises 15-20 reps
Take a 1-2 minute rest and repeat.

For more information on receiving your own personal circuit work out or fitness routine email me at info@ditanyondemps.com and ask about discounted rates for my online training program. Remember, visualize, believe, achieve! Ditanyon Demps

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