I know exercise is great, but I still feel like “I don’t have time” for it. How do you challenge unhelpful thoughts and develop healthy routines?

Malthe F.
We always think we don't have "time" but truthfully we always do. It really comes down to what do we have time for?Just think about it. What do we do when we get home, do you sit in front of the tv for 30 mins, do you start scrolling on social media, do we complain and think about everything that went wrong for the day. Well guess what? All those things require time! So sometimes all it takes is you speaking to yourself while scrolling through facebook.. I could use this time to do 50 sit-ups or 30 mins on the treadmill. I say be determine to speak to your self for 2 weeks by saying I can exercise instead of doing this or that. Start small – 30 mins is fine. I say 2weeks because your body will need some time to adjust. If it requires more than then do that too. Go until you no longer need to tell yourself.. it will be routine. Rooting for you! xx
Becky G.
My exercise is scheduled in the afternoon when energy and attention start to wander. That way I can see I'm not missing a good work moment. Also I stretch and do crunches in the morning before getting out of bed. So later I tell myself I'm already on the way and only need to finish. Sounds easier than starting.
Vivaldo F.
Simply counter those thoughts. The ones that tell you that you “don’t have enough time” because you DO. You make time for the things you love, like whatever else you do instead of working out. Start really simple with just taking walks outside for twenty minutes. Or even 10. Notice your feelings after that and embrace those positive feelings and CELEBRATE. Once you celebrate those good feelings your body will learn to send a message in your head that says “let’s make time for exercise because I loved that” rather than making an excuse to avoid it. Set an intention. And make sure to celebrate all the success you’ve accomplished to get there.
S L Na N.
Since I only have one goal in the morning, now, and the other three habits are okay, I can just focus on how I can do my seven minutes of light exercise. Light is the key, because then I’m focused on intensity, not duration, and light doesn’t seem like very much. So I find a way to at least do seven minutes of some light thing!