No Time For Workouts? Here’s 4 Extra Hours By Dietician & Trainer Baraa El Sabbagh

As a registered dietitian and personal trainer for the past 8 years, I’ve heard it all: 

“I couldn’t work out because I didn’t have time after work!”or “I have so many exams & so much to do, I can’t make it to the gym,” and of course, “Who has time when they have kids?” 

The most common problem I hear from people on their fitness journeys is lack of TIME. You might be thinking, alright what’s the solution Baraa? You can’t give me more hours in the day. Believe it or not, team, but that’s exactly what I’m going to do today! Before we get to it, if you’d rather listen to this episode on the B for Better Health podcast, here’s the link right here. 

I’m going to tell you about some awesome tips you can do to easily add 4 extra hours to your week for workouts. You don’t necessarily have to use the extra time to workout, you can use it for “me time”, meal prep, or meditation. The point is, these 7 tactics can free up valuable hours to your week that you normally wouldn’t have, which we could all use more of, am I right? 

1. Don’t Go To The Grocery Store, Order Online 

via GIPHY

I know, I know, I love walking through the aisles of a supermarket too. There’s so much stuff and variety out there that you walk into a store thinking you only need detergent, and you leave with popcorn, new shampoo, nail file, 2 for 1 soap offer, and the list goes on and on.

While there are times you need to physically go to the store, my first tip is you should switch over to online grocery shopping instead. When you order online, you’re saving a minimum of TWO HOURS a week! Just think, the drive over there, finding parking, walking around sometimes aimlessly, all this can be eliminated by buying the essentials online. 

Also, if you’re looking for ways to level up your grocery shopping, especially when you’re trying to shop healthy, check out “7 Secrets To Healthy Grocery Shopping”.

2. Hire A Laundry Service

If you find your day consumed with doing the laundry, waiting for it to dry, folding it, and putting clothes away, it might be time to invest in a laundry service. Sending laundry away doesn’t just save you hours, it can give you back a whole DAY, so don’t think of it as a luxury service. Because when you free up more time for yourself you could put more energy into work, the gym, or your family. 

The message here is if there’s someone else that can finish a task for you, try to utilize that service. No one else can workout on your behalf, or finish a report, or spend time with your kids. So take it easy on yourself and invest in your wellbeing. It pays off in the long run, I promise. And if you’ve been hesitant because you feel it might cost too much money, I suggest you ask about the prices from 1 or 2 laundry stores before assuming it’s not for you. You might be surprised!

3. Look Into Hiring A Helper Or Chauffeur 

via GIPHY

If hiring a full time helper or driver doesn’t fit into your budget or lifestyle at this point, you can always go for part-time help. Picture waking up or walking into a clean house, folded laundry, plants are watered, carpets are vacuumed, fridge is clean, the kitchen sink is empty and clean. How motivated are you going to be to complete a work out?

Instead of feeling you have to tidy up before committing to a training session, you’re free to do what you want! 

And we all know if you started tidying, it doesn’t start and stop in one area of the house, you begin in one area and don’t stop until you finish the whole house, and you end up losing 2 and a half hours in your day! I mentioned drivers because I know a lot of you have kids and school drop offs and pickups, plus extra curricular activities, play dates, and so on. You could always co-hire someone with your sibling or relative, that way you don’t have to take on the expenses by yourself. 

4. Talk To Your Partner

Do you feel like you’re carrying more of the load because your partner has more work? Or let’s face it, because you know you could do it better than someone else? This tip is for you: have an honest conversation with your spouse, partner or roommate about how things are going and if you need a helping hand. These conversations can honestly be life changing, because chances are that they don’t know you’re burdened and would actually love to help whenever they can! 

If you’re living with someone that’s working from 9 am to 9 pm, it can be hard to tell them you need their help picking up the household groceries or picking out a present for that dinner you’re going to, but they can help in other ways, like ordering the groceries online on their lunch break or ordering that gift or set of flowers for dinner when they have a quick minute. Things that are small as this can free you from making so many decisions in a day.

5. Plan Out Workout Outfits

This one’s one of my favorite tips because helloooo outfits! Some of you may know I’m an Adidas athlete ambassador, so I get access to some epic clothes. From bodysuits to comfy shorts to colorful leggings, I find it so fun to plan out my gym outfits a day in advance. 

Have fun with outfit prep and go all out: get a band, funky socks, matching top and pants, whatever you want. When you know what you’re going to wear and it’s all laid out and ready for you, you’ll very rarely cancel on the workout since everything is already arranged!

6. Plan A Playdate For Your Kids 

I know kids are unpredictable and even if you have play dates planned days in advance, things can change last minute. But chances are, things will go right and the kids will get to go on their play dates without any surprises. 

So for this tip, I recommend making plans for the kids whenever you have a workout scheduled, especially if it’s after school and they don’t have any other activity going on. You don’t want to be getting ready to exercise only to have your child come into your room, claiming they’re bored and asking to be entertained. 

I hear of mom-guilt way too often, so if you’re the type that’s going to feel guilty telling them you have something to do and end up cancelling your workout to hang with them, this won’t be sustainable.

In order to avoid this, go ahead and call your friend to plan a playdate, or better yet, have a standing appointment with a group of moms. You guys can have a rotational play date where each of you hosts the kids on different days. 

7. Last But Not Least, Walk And Talk! 

via GIPHY

If you have a meeting that you can take while walking, do it! Instead of sitting in front of the computer screen for hours, you can be moving and getting your 10 thousand steps in while you debrief your team on the week’s agenda.

You can even have someone record the call if you need to reference it. Haven’t spoken to your sister in a while? Schedule in a walk and a call this week, you just gained an hour AND you got to catch up with your family. 

There’s no rule that says you can’t take your kids (or partners) on your walks either! Or even making your friend catch up session a walk instead of a lunch or dinner every once in a while. If you want some quality time with them, take them along your walking route. It’s something new and walking brings in great energy! 

Small Hacks, Big Difference

I know these small hacks can help you guys regain a little more time and control in a world that seems super fast paced and chaotic. You are responsible for your own time, and I know just how much we have on our to-do lists that it seems impossible you can include regular workouts too, but you can! 

Try these 7 steps out and let me know if I missed anything, I’m always finding new ways to gain more time, & who knows, I can make a part 2 of this episode.