How to Work Out When You Don’t Have Time (Simple Strategies for a Busy Schedule)

You probably don’t have time to work out.

I certainly don’t have time to work out the way I do.

But I do it anyways.

Time and money are easy excuses.

“I don’t have time to…” and “I can’t afford to…” have stopped many people from ever getting the results they desire.

I know plenty of busy people and plenty of broke people that stay fit.

What is it that’s really holding you back from the health or the body that you want?

If you think it’s not having enough time, keep reading.

I run my own coaching business, while being hired to do contract work for other businesses, on top of all my responsibilities as a husband and father. We’re heavily involved in our church community, and we highly value deep relationships in our lives.

I’m certainly not the busiest guy I know, but my schedule is nowhere near empty.

In fact, almost every client I work with is just as busy as I am — and often busier.

Honestly, most of you reading this are probably busier than me.

Busy is not a competition.

It’s definitely not a game that our family is trying to play. But unfortunately, busy is becoming the norm.

Being busy is not a get-out-of-jail-free card or an excuse to not take care of yourself.

There have been times in my life where I focused more on appearing or feeling busy than actually getting results.

You can say that your health is important, or your health can actually be important.

Our values are defined by what we do, not by what we say.

Do your daily actions match what you say is important to you?

Here’s what I mean.

In a few months I’ll have 3 kids under 4 years old.

I often hear dads talk about how important family is, or how family is everything to them.

It should be.

But first, make sure your actions match your words.

• How much quality time are you actually spending with your family — free of distractions, your phone, or your work?
• What steps are you taking to make your family better in the way that you love and lead them?
• Are your actions showing them what it means to value and care for yourself?
• Are you showing up when it really counts, when it’s inconvenient, when you’re tired, or when you just don’t feel like it?

Waiting until you feel like doing something is one of the worst ways to live if you ever want to accomplish anything meaningful.

Those that know me know how much I say that family is important.

Those that really know me — my wife, my family, my closest friends — also know how important family really is to me based on what I do.

My wife and I are very intentional with our time together, time with our kids, with other relationships, and with our health and fitness.

Sometimes life happens, but most often, we don’t miss our workouts.

We have decided how we want to live.

We’re not waking up each day wasting time deciding if we should be healthy or spend more time together as a family.

I can guarantee you that we certainly don’t feel like it every single day.

If you’re not as healthy as you want to be, I guarantee you there is more you can be doing.

But listen to this — especially if your schedule feels full, and the thought of ‘more’ causes anxiety.

More does not mean it has to take up an extra 5-10 hours per week.

Throwing more time at a problem rarely works. Instead, it requires sacrifice — and a decision to just make it happen.

You can make excuses or you can make changes, whether you feel like it or not.

Because from a high level, if you’re ready to actually prioritize your health, you really only have two things you can do:

1. Find out how to be more efficient and increase your results in less time.

2. Find out how to spend more time working on your health.

(I guess technically there’s a third option: doing both option 1 and 2 — which is probably the best.)

Five Practical Steps to Prioritize Your Health on a Busy Schedule

1. Wake up earlier

I’ll start with the least popular option.

Let’s at least acknowledge that getting up earlier is an option — which might mean getting to bed earlier as well. If getting to bed earlier isn’t possible, it might just mean getting less sleep and getting out of bed.

I’ve written extensively about the importance of sleep, so don’t hear me say something I’m not saying. Sleep will help your hormones, your energy, your mood, and so many other things.

While this isn’t the ideal scenario, it’s at least a possibility.

You’ll probably be healthier sleeping 6.5 hours with 30 minutes of extra daily activity than sleeping 7 hours with no extra activity.

2. Do full-body workout sessions

If you can only fit in 2–3 workout sessions per week, which is more than enough to see transformation, then your best bet is full-body sessions.

During some of the busiest times of my life — only working out 3x/week — I dropped under 10% body fat for the first time while maintaining most of my muscle.

And I was only doing 3–5 exercises per session, for about 45 minutes total.

Here’s the simple workout structure I used:

• Pick ONE compound lower body exercise (squats, deadlifts, leg press).
• Pick ONE compound upper body exercise (bench press, rows, shoulder press, push-ups, pull-ups).
• Pick ONE accessory lower body exercise (lunges — always lunges).
• Pick ONE accessory upper body exercise (dips, curls, shoulder raises).
• If you’re feeling wild, pick ONE core exercise to round it off.

Then go get on with your day. Rinse and repeat 2–3x weekly and you’ll be fitter than you’ve been in years (assuming you follow point #3).

3. Focus on adding weight and reps over time

You can’t do the same workouts at the same weights and expect to get better.

You can maintain this way, but you won’t improve.

Add weight to the bar or increase reps over time.

Think about how you can get stronger over the next 4 months to 4 years — not just 4 weeks.

I’ve never met a guy that can squat a ton of weight with chicken legs or rep out weighted dips with scrawny arms.

You don’t need fancy supplements or workout programs — just keep getting stronger and your body will transform.

4. Add more spontaneous activity to your day

Spoiler alert: some of the fittest people you know don’t just work out for 45 minutes and then sit at a desk all day.

Spontaneous activity throughout the day — walking, air squats between meetings, wrestling with your kids, walking lunges, sprints up the stairs — can work wonders over time.

Remember: the gym is not the only place your fitness can improve.

5. Get creative

Sometimes things won’t go as planned.

You’ll sleep through your alarm, your kid will get sick, or work will throw a curveball during your scheduled workout time.

This is where I struggled for a lot of years — thinking everything had to be perfect.
Some days, one set of pushups (bonus points with your kid on your back) can be the win you need to keep momentum moving forward.

If you can’t make it to the gym for an hour, one set of heavy squats can change your fitness and your mindset.

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These strategies aren’t flashy.

They’re not easy.

But they work.

Don’t let another week, month, or year go by with regrets around your health.

You don’t have to accept your belly fat or tighter-fitting pants as the new normal.

Change is available right here and right now.

You don’t have to wait for your kids to be older, for work to slow down, or for the time to be just right.

If you’re ready to get serious about your health, just get started.

If you need help, or just a little bit of accountability, reply to any one of my emails and let me know what you’re trying to accomplish.

Action is the only way to start believing in yourself.

Once you believe in yourself, your family and other people around you will too.

Don’t talk about it. Be about it.