Do you schedule meetings at work, doctor’s appointments and/or your kids’ soccer game? Do you prefer a wall calendar, day-planner, Outlook or Smartphone app (or, like me, are you so disorganized that you use all of the above in hopes of keeping things straight)? If you use a method of systematizing work and family life, why not do the same with workouts? Looking a week out, for example, is a great way to determine when you might be able to fit in a trip to the gym, a bike ride or swim. If you participate in a team sport, you will have to make time for that activity, too. If you don’t think about prior commitments before they happen, it’s often hard to readjust afterwards and retrofit exercise, especially if you are busy, tired at the end of a workday and/or lack motivation to work out in the first place. Carving out time for fitness, beforehand, makes it easier to do what you can, when you can. Try putting workouts in your schedule, and see if you find the time to stick to your fitness program. Move #3: Try scheduling your next week of exercise. Actually write down or input what you’ll do — when and for how long. Did it improve your compliance?
