Want to squeeze in that all-important workout but don’t seem to have enough hours in the day? Here are three critical elements to making the time you need:

Learn to prioritise
Understand the importance of your health and what a fitter you will mean, not only to your own overall health, but to those around you: you’ll probably be around longer, spend less on medical bills, have the energy to spend real, quality time with them and be better able to cope with the stresses of everyday life. Does this all sound too good to be true? It’s not. This is what a healthy exercise routine can do for you. Once you have exercise set as a high priority, finding the time to spend doing it, becomes that much easier.

Timetable
Or as the hot label in business says, learn Time Management. Learning to successfully manage your time is a vital skill, especially if you’re running a household, have kids and trying to hold down a paying job or two. Even if your life is simpler than that, managing your time effectively can increase your productivity and your general sense of fulfillment.

First, as with money, you need to spend a little time to make a little time. Create a timetable filled with all the things you currently do and think carefully about how long it really takes to do each one. Notice any blank spaces? Or do you notice blocks of time where you are occupied but not really doing much? Or are you doing something, but it has a much lower priority rating than exercising? See if you can shuffle some of your activities around, shorten their length or even drop them altogether if they don’t serve your lifestyle purpose.

As you mull over your life that has been reduced to numbers and little word-filled blocks, the answer should become apparent. If not, and the answer doesn’t come to you after a good night’s rest, here are some ‘hidden timetable’ tips to help you breathe a little easier – or heavier.

Be efficient
When you do manage to get the time to exercise, don’t waste it. Push as hard as you can, keeping in mind your own skill and fitness levels to prevent injury. Running hard for 30 minutes burns more calories than walking for an hour. Also, always make sure you know the correct way of performing the exercise (preferably by consulting a professional), to get the most out of it.

BONUS TIP: Be Flexible
Even the best-laid plans can fail; be prepared to accept the unexpected. Keep your goals and key motivations in focus and carry on, even if it means re-planning and starting again.