Work Travel, School Schedules, and Chaos: How to Keep Your Routine Alive
You finally get into a good workout routine, and then life gets busy.
Maybe you're traveling for work, the kids' school activities are filling up your evenings, or you're helping an aging parent get to appointments. Suddenly, the time you usually set aside for exercise isn't available anymore.
You keep thinking you'll get back to your workouts when things settle down. But one busy week turns into another, and before you know it, several weeks have gone by.
I know how frustrating that can feel, especially when you've worked hard to establish a routine. I've been through plenty of busy seasons myself, and one thing I've learned is that sometimes you have to get a little creative about fitting exercise into your life.
How We Made Fitness Work When Our Kids Were Young
When my husband and I were raising our children, we were fortunate to have jobs that allowed us to work out during our lunch breaks.
That made a big difference. We could get our exercise in during the workday and still have our evenings available for the kids and everything else going on at home.
Weekends were a little different. We would tag-team so we could each get out for a run or fit in a workout while the other stayed home with the kids.
And when we were training for marathons, we had to get even more creative. My nephew would sleep over on Saturday nights so we could get up early on Sunday mornings and get our long runs in.
Looking back, we found some pretty good ways to make it work!
But we certainly didn't have endless free time. We were juggling jobs, raising three children, taking care of the house, and dealing with all the things that come with family life.
We knew exercise was important to us, so we looked for opportunities to fit it in.
Sometimes that meant working out during lunch. Other times, we needed to help each other make it happen.
I share this because I think it's easy to look at someone who has exercised consistently for years and assume they've always had plenty of time for it.
That wasn't our experience. We had to make adjustments depending on what was happening in our lives.
And I think that's something many women can relate to, whether they're raising children, managing demanding careers, helping aging parents, or juggling a combination of responsibilities.
The Workout Schedule That Worked Last Month Might Not Work Today
One thing I've noticed when talking with women about their fitness routines is how often they try to hold on to a schedule that no longer fits their lives.
Maybe you were getting to the gym three mornings a week during the summer. Then school started, and those mornings became a rush to get everyone ready and out the door.
Or perhaps you usually exercise after work, but now you're traveling more often or have evening commitments several days a week.
And when you can't make it happen, it's easy to feel like you're falling behind.
This isn’t a motivation problem — it’s a strategy mismatch for this stage of life.
I think this is where a lot of women get stuck. They assume that if they can't follow their regular workout schedule, they're not being consistent.
But sometimes consistency means making adjustments.
When our kids were young, my husband and I didn't always work out at the same time or in the same way. We figured out what was possible with the schedule we had.
If you normally spend 45 minutes at the gym but have a particularly busy week coming up, maybe you plan for two shorter workouts at home instead.
If you're traveling for work, you might do a few familiar strength exercises in your hotel room rather than trying to find a gym.
It doesn't have to be exactly the workout you would normally do.
If you're wondering what kind of fitness routine would work best for you right now, our short quiz can help you think through where to start.
Look at Your Schedule Before the Week Starts
One thing that helps is looking at your schedule before the week starts getting busy.
Let's say you normally exercise Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
But next week, you have an early meeting Monday, you're traveling Wednesday, and Friday evening is already committed to a family activity.
Instead of hoping you'll somehow squeeze those workouts in, look for another time that might work.
Maybe Tuesday morning and Thursday afternoon are more realistic. And maybe those workouts are only 20 minutes instead of 45.
You can still get in some strength training without having to rearrange your entire week.
I also know that some weeks are harder to plan than others. You may have a job with unpredictable hours or family responsibilities that change at the last minute.
In those situations, having a shorter workout you can do at home gives you another option.
And there will be days when exercise just doesn't happen. You don't have to make up every missed workout or start your whole routine over on Monday. Just pick it up again when you have the opportunity.
Try This Before Next Week
Take five minutes this weekend and look at your calendar.
If you see a day when your usual workout probably won't fit, decide what you could do instead.
Maybe you move it to a different day, shorten it, or plan to exercise at home rather than going to the gym.
You don't need to figure out an entirely new routine. Just make one adjustment that gives you a better chance of getting your workout in.
When I think back to those years of raising our children, I'm grateful we had the flexibility to exercise during lunch and family who could help when we needed it.
I also realize that not everyone has those options. What worked for us might not work for you.
Some weeks you'll have more time to exercise than others. I've learned to work with that rather than fight it.
We found ways to make exercise work around our family schedule, even when that meant doing things a little differently.
And I think that's a good place to start when life gets busy.
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