Life just seems to be getting busier but that doesn’t mean saying goodbye to your workout.

It’s time to put our fitness first. Squeezing a bit of exercise into our lives needn’t be hard or time-consuming. A host of new research suggests that exercises that take as little as ten minutes a day can lead to body-changing results. And with all the new backpacks, running gear, and various other exercise gear on the market at the moment there has never been a better (or easier) time to incorporate your workout into your daily routine. Here are just some of the ways you can get fit on the move…

Run/cycle your commute
Turn your commute into your workout. If you have showers at your office – use them, if not try www.h2bikerun.co.uk. Inspired by the lack of changing facilities in the city, H2bikerun offers a safe place to store your bike (if you rode in) and shower and changing facilities. The changing rooms are really clean and spacious and have hairdryers, mirrors and lockers. Membership is relatively inexpensive (especially when you tot up the cost of your commute every day) and you have absolutely no ties to the organisation and can cancel at any time. We can’t recommend it enough. They also have spinning classes for those who want a quick but effective workout during their lunch break (see below).

Sprint train on your lunch break
It has been proven that short, fast bursts of sprint or interval training is a much more effective way to burn fat. And the best news is you don’t have to set aside a whole hour to do it. A great way to High-Intensity Interval Train is by joining a spinning class – many gyms will offer 30-45 minute classes around lunchtime. Or you can do it on your own if running is more your thing. After warming up for at least five minutes (a steady jog would work well) alternate 20 seconds of sprinting with 20-second recovery periods – do this for 8 minutes. Then jog for another five minutes to cool down and lower your heart rate and stretch properly to avoid injury. You can really apply this technique to anything… if you like resistance/bodyweight training use this technique with the exercises you perform. E.g. 20 seconds of squats as fast as you can whilst maintaining correct form, then rest for 20 seconds.

Get up an hour earlier
Many people are reluctant to get up an hour earlier… if you’re not a morning person this can feel particularly difficult! These days, because of our increasingly busy lives, it often means that we are getting to bed later and later and the worry that we will wake up tired keeps us hitting that snooze button! But exercise is in fact believed to make you even more efficient and alert for the day ahead – this is due to the increased blood flow to the brain. Just remember that the hours of sleep you get before midnight is most important in helping you to wake up bright eyed and full of energy.

Do a fitness class in your bedroom
If you really want to save money and avoid having to step foot into a gym or fitness studio, there’s always opting for a home workout. There are so many ways to exercise online for free, you just have to head over to YouTube! As well as an abundance of fitness bloggers offering their go-to workout routines, we also love Blogilates by Casey Ho and Pop Sugar Fitness. Both channels offer a wide range of workouts for all abilities and for all time restrictions (Blogilates even offers apartment-friendly workouts so you don’t disturb your downstairs neighbours with your burpees!) There are also many online subscriptions where you do have to pay for access to fitness videos… Naturally Sassy’s recently launched Online Studio is definitely one to check out if you love barre-fusion workouts!

Commit to a fitness every week
By committing to something every week – like embarking on a series of yoga classes or even joining a netball team – it helps you to say no to other things that come along and get in the way of your fitness regime. Especially if you have already paid for something up front or you’d be letting your teammates down. It really is all about putting yourself and your fitness first. Which in turn will hopefully make you a happier and healthier person all round allowing you to be productive, efficient and content at work and in everyday life.

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