by Brenna Mae

Created on: November 16, 2009

We all know that exercise is a vital part of a healthy lifestyle. In today's world, though, it's not easy to find the time - especially when we want to save that time for family, friends, and work related or financial opportunity. Yet, anyone can really find the time with just the right amount of prioritization. Many think that taking the time for exercise means sacrifice. It doesn't have to.

In this article, we'll look a few methods one can take for a healthy lifestyle change: exercising more, and finding the time to do so.

1. Analyze Your Time
The first step to admit that most of us do have time. This is not to imply that we are lazy and using it as an excuse, but rather to say that if we prioritize our time better, we can easily make the time.

Do you watch TV for more than an hour a day? Do you spend time doing repetitive work related tasks that are essentially unproductive? Do you lounge around and relax later in the day?

Sources vary, but on average studies show that just 30 minutes of cardio (to the point of sweating) is enough to lose weight for those that are overweight, or maintain a healthy weight for others. Now if we think about this, 30 minutes isn't that much time.

An argument to this, of course, is that we don't want to sacrifice the little free time we do have. This is another bad misconception about exercise: it has to be boring, tiring, work. Research shows, though, that exercise increases overall energy. This applies first to the rush during and after the exercise, and overall energy increases long-term as well. Admittedly, exercise is work at first. This is why most of us don't ever stick with it. If one were to try to exercise consistently - this means every day - for two weeks at least, though, one would see the difference in their motivation to exercise, and their endurance to do so.

By making exercise a part of a routine, we can begin to see it in a new light. It can become a 'time-for-you' activity, which is both rewarding and relaxing. It will be easier to exercise instead of wasting hours in front of the TV, surfing the web, or overworking ourselves.

2. Get Up Earlier
The phrase above hurts many...and rightfully so. A good tip to finding more time for any sort of task, though, is to just simply wake up earlier. Wake up a half an hour earlier, exercise, and get it out of the way for the rest of the day. This is probably the easiest way to mix it in to a daily routine, as nothing else has to be shifted around or even sacrificed.

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