Pressed for time

Exercise and fitness tips for busy people

This issue we asked the Rude Health fitness experts to share their best time-saving fitness tips and tricks to help you fit more movement into your day. Whether you’ve got 15 minutes before work or 10 minutes before the kids get home, these insights will help you to make every second count.

Sylvia Diaz, founder of Fit with Sylvia, is an Instagram fitness icon. She works as a nutritionist, fitness and health coach. She transforms busy professionals’ lives to a fit, healthy and guilty-free mindset. She also works as a digital content creator.

“It’s about making movement part of your day”
“As a fitness coach and new mum, I completely understand how hard it can be to fit in exercise when life is non-stop,” says Sylvia Diaz, founder of Fit with Sylvia. “But staying active doesn’t have to mean long gym sessions, it’s about making movement part of your day, even in small doses.

Start small and stay consistent
My go-to advice for clients who feel they’re too busy to exercise is to start small and stay consistent.

A 10-minute workout is better than doing nothing. It’s not about perfection: it’s about doing what you can, when you can. Movement should give you energy, not take it away. When I create programmes for my busy clients, I always make sure the workouts can be squeezed into their schedule, because let’s be honest, sometimes it has to happen between Zoom calls or while the coffee’s brewing! Short, equipment-free routines that can be done at home tend to be the most effective and the most challenging.

Quick circuits
My favourite go-to moves are squats, push-ups (knee version if needed), lunges, planks, and glute bridges.

You can do a quick circuit – 40 seconds of each move, 20 seconds rest, 3 rounds – and feel amazing after just 15 minutes.

Make exercise a habit
To stay motivated, I recommend anchoring workouts to habits you already have. Maybe it’s stretching after brushing your teeth or doing a few lunges while waiting on dinner. Protect those 10/20 minutes in your calendar like a meeting with yourself. It adds up more than you think. Remember: fitness doesn’t have to be all or nothing. Even on the busiest days, there’s always a way to move.”

Sinéad McLoughlin is an online weight loss coach and personal trainer. She is passionate about helping women reach their weight loss goals and become fitter and healthier through her highly successful weight loss program Thrive. Follow her on Instagram: @sineadmcloughlinfitness

“You don’t need to travel to a gym to get a fantastic workout in”
“Modern life is so busy now that many of us don’t have time to drive to a gym, do a workout and drive home again,” says Sinéad McLoughlin, founder of Sinéad McLoughlin Fitness. “But here is the thing: you don’t need tonnes of time, or you don’t need to travel to a gym to get a fantastic workout in. Instead, make the most of what is available to you. Your body is an amazing piece of fitness equipment.

HIIT sessions
These are brilliant because they are short and sharp and can be done from the comfort of your own home. They are a fantastic way to get the heart rate going, sweat pumping and legs on fire. And in less than 30 minutes you can get a great workout in. The beauty of HIIT sessions is that there is a follow-on benefit. There are the calories you burn while training, but your body continues to burn calories long after you finish as it works to recover.

Increasing your general day-to-day activity
This is probably one of the biggest things you can do for your overall fitness. Instead of taking the easy option, look to ways you can do things differently that will increase your overall output, like standing more than you sit, building in short walks throughout your workday where possible, taking the stairs instead of the lift, hoovering the house, parking further away or walking the dog every day. It all adds up to huge activity boosts that will greatly improve your overall fitness.

Prioritise what works for you
Work around your current schedule and slot in what will fit into that. If your kids are small, why not try a dance routine with them in the kitchen? (Get them involved too!)

Or powerwalk for 20/30 minutes with a podcast in the evening? Do what feels fun and you will be more likely to stick with it.”

Gráinne O'Driscoll runs Grá For Fitness offering public, private and corporate Pilates, yoga and fitness classesVisit www.graforfitness.ie

“Short, intense bursts of exercise will benefit your health and fitness”
“For people who think they are too busy to exercise, the good news is you don’t have to go to the gym or a class and spend an hour exercising to improve your fitness,” says Gráinne O’Driscoll, founder of Grá for Fitness. “Research has shown that short, intense bursts of exercise or ‘exercise snacks’ throughout the day will benefit your health and fitness.”

Integrate exercise into your day
We’ve all heard tips like taking the stairs instead of the lift. Start there and then build from walking up the stairs to running up the stairs, whether at work or at home. If you like a cuppa, create a habit of doing some squats or push-ups against a counter or even try jumping or hopping while you’re waiting for the kettle to boil. If you’re desk-based, aim to stand once an hour and take a few minutes once or twice a day to do some standing or seated stretches.

Walk the walk
Walking for fitness is super accessible. If walking to work isn’t possible, aim to build in a brisk 20 to 30 minute walk at lunchtime. You can increase the intensity of your walk with a weights vest – these are becoming increasingly popular. NB, your weights vest should not exceed 10% of your body weight.

Build exercise into social events. Instead of meeting friends in a café, meet them for a walk instead. Are you a parent who spends much of their time at the edge of a sports field? See how many times you can walk around that pitch while you’re waiting. You can cheer as you go.

Simple exercises to try
Squats are great for strengthening the lower body. Push-ups are another good option. With your hands shoulder height and shoulder width (or wider) against a wall, bend your elbows to ease yourself towards the wall. To increase the difficulty, use a counter or desktop.”

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