How to Fit Exercise in When Life Gets in the Way

Today was a normal long one. Up at 4.45am to head off to work. Straight after work I went to the child-minder to pick up one of my boys and then to school for the other. The journey home consisted of over a 1,000 questions from my six year old son; mainly based around cars with four exhaust pipes! Then it was home to sort the house, cook their dinner, a quick wrestling match with them both (I got pinned by my 18 month old), bath time, homework, stories...

It's now 7.30pm. I'm sitting on the sofa ready to download a few songs to try and get me motivated for the gym. All I want is sleep or the TV.

People ask what's the best thing to stay motivated. I think motivation is overrated. If you only train when you are motivated then you can say goodbye to exercise when life gets in the way.

Instead, what you need to focus on are two things. Discipline and sacrifice. Remember these two words.

Discipline is what gets you to the gym, and surely that's the most important thing? We are all motivated after a Christmas binge but how long does that last? Two weeks? Forget the motivation, get some discipline. I train four times a week. I feel good maybe once, feel average twice and feel pretty bad once! The best sessions are those you don't want to do. If you can get into the habit of turning up for training even when you don’t feel like it, then this is when the results start rolling in!

Sacrifice is a different matter. We all need a dose of this, especially these days. Be honest with yourself. How much TV do you watch a day? How often are you online or on social media? If you’re sitting down for three hours a night but still moaning about your physique then it's time to make some sacrifices. One of my favourite quotes from Jim Wendler, a favourite strength coach of mine is; "Excuses are just you telling the world you have given up".

Don't be that person. Make sacrifices for your health, your fitness, your strength.

You have two choices. Give up or be in shape.

Food for thought

Is this food bad for me? A question asked by many of us. You almost need to flip the question and ask whether or not it's good for you.


Many people in this day and age lack the proper nutrition to function well. They lack goodness in their diet.


So the next time you ask yourself that question, think about what your body can use from the food you have eaten. For example, what colour is it? If it's colourful, no doubt it's nutritious (I don't mean fruit pastilles!). Any veggies or fruit will give you a variety of goodness. Eat a selection of colours to benefit from a spectrum of nutrients.


Also, when isolating certain foods and asking yourself this question, we must return to the term 'moderation'. Not long ago I was asked if a bagel was bad. No, not if during the course of the day you have eaten plenty of whole foods. Have you eaten veggies, fruit, good sources of protein, fibrous carbohydrates and consumed plenty of water? If yes, then a bagel is fine to add into the mix! If not, swap the bagel for some fruit and get the balance back in your body’s favour.


Stay healthy!