I Don't Have Time To Workout & [Insert Other Excuse Here]

Let’s face facts; everyone has time if they’re completely honest with themselves. The reality of the situation is that they just don’t want to make the time.

No, I'm not being mean or unrealistic either!

The fitness market itself is booming and generates billions of pounds per year. As a result, companies need to find new ways to appeal to their consumers which includes acknowledging that not everyone is young, single and sans children. As the industry continues to grow, so do the options available to you regardless of age, budget and time, you just need to know where to look.

Now, when I first started really thinking about working out I was pretty broke, and I mean really broke. Never being a real fan of joining a gym (and not being able to afford it either) I invested in Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred which was a bargain at only £5 if purchased from HERE and promised results after only 20 minutes a day (plus a warm up/cool down) with three levels of intensity. The only other thing which I needed was a small set of hand weights, a set of 1kg weights can be picked up from Sports Direct, again, for well under a fiver. Cheap, cheerful and no fancy equipment required.

As a boost to my new exercise regime, I thought I could use a diet plan to run alongside and which wasn't going to cost the earth to follow! Step forward, Special K.

Special K offer a free diet plan which is available both online and via a free app. You enter some simple bits of information and they will tailor a plan to work around you. There are free recipes which are generated for all of your meals throughout the day (none of which are particularly complex), advice forums and support if you need it. There is also a tracker where you can enter what you’re eating, what exercise you’re doing and it lets you know how you’re getting on. Did I happen to mention it’s free??

Another fantastic resource which is free can be found online. Lionsgate BeFit have several videos on their Youtube channel which range in length, intensity and target body area from trainers such as Jillian Michaels, Jane Fonda, Denise Austin, Royce Clayton and more.

So I suppose my first point is you don’t need to join a gym or spend thousands of pounds in order to get yourself started; if you can’t afford £10 for the basics, then look outside your front door! That road right there is free to run on any time of day.

Right, now to move on to the issue of not having the time; as I've said above, the 30-day Shred workouts by Jillian take 20 minutes, everyone has 20 minutes in their day. Whilst I know there are other trainers/DVD’s out there, I find the workouts Jillian Michaels has to offer work best for me and get my heart rate up, plus if I'm having an off day, she always tells you how to modify the moves to make them simpler and vice versa if you’re feeling strong. If you don’t like the idea of 30-day Shred, she also has a DVD called Kickbox Fast Fix which is 20 minutes all in. Two of the three levels don’t even require any equipment at all!

Another trainer who I've recently discovered is by Shaun T who has a programme called T-25, if you've heard of the Insanity workout programme this is a super condensed version which takes 25 minutes. There are two phases, Alpha and Beta and the workouts range from pure cardio to abs to upper/lower body so all areas are covered. Now I should warn you, these workouts are tough but you’ll definitely get a lot out of them if you stick at it.

Still convinced you can’t find an extra 30 minutes? Firstly, bear in mind those 30 minutes only make up 2% of your total day. Secondly, try waking up 30 minutes earlier than usual if you’re a social butterfly and can’t find time in the evenings. I personally like to head straight home from work and crack on with my workout before I settle in, then I can shower and climb into my PJ’s for the evening but if I'm busy, I find the time in the mornings before I head to work.

Once you get going, there are endless resources which you can use to support a healthy lifestyle. I have a couple of favourites at the moment, one of which being James Duigans Bodyism Website, which posts healthy recipes from his Clean & Lean Diet and hints and tips on moves which can be used to target certain body areas but I'm happy to tell you lots of others – all you have to do is ask.