Most of us are time-poor.  Family, work, friends, home; it can be a challenge just fitting the basics in, let alone training.  We often wonder how much better we’d be in our sport if only we had more time to train.  It’s also common to assume everyone else has more time available.

In reality, we just need to work with what we’ve got.  It is possible to find time and make the most of whatever you have available.  The key is fitting your training in, no matter how busy you are, and not waiting for a perfect future when you have more time, which will probably never come.

A useful first step is motivation (you can read more about how to get this on the blog here). Once you want to do something, you prioritise it, and it becomes easier to make the time to do it, because you want to.

Most of us have a bit of slack in our day if we just look hard for it.  Here are some practical tips how to fit training into your life:

:: Get up earlier.  Lay your kit out the night before and get up earlier to train.  In just 30 minutes, you could run 2 to 4 miles, swim lots of lengths or bike up to 10 miles.

:: Commuting.  Run or bike all or part of your commute.

:: Around children.  If you’ve got equipment in your home, you could do a treadmill run or strength session while your children are sleeping.  If you’ve got a supportive partner or friend, you can train while they watch the children, and vice versa.

You can run with your children in special running pushchairs.  It’s a harder workout than running without them, and gets even harder as your children get heavier! (The Guinness World Record for pushing a ‘stroller’ in a marathon was set in 2009 at 2:32:10, if you fancy having a go at that!)

:: Using breaks. Many people train in their lunch break and eat lunch at their desk when they get back to work afterwards.

:: Keeping positive/ every minute counts. Even 15 minutes is beneficial.  You may have wanted to train for an hour, but it is better to do something than nothing.  Just doing some exercise will inject a mental and physical lift into your day, and the training benefits will add up.

Have a set of sessions you can turn to if you’re short on time, like 5 mins easy, 5 moderate, 5 fast.  Or warm up for 5 minutes and do 10 minutes of technique exercises.

:: Write it down. Stick it in your diary and stick to it like other appointments.

It’s worth remembering that the benefits of having made the time to train are that you keep physically fit, mentally alert and emotionally happy.  As many people experience, this all makes you more likely to be better husband/ wife, employee, or parent as a result.  So find that time to train!

If you’d like to thank someone for supporting your training, or wish them luck with theirs, check out the Art Of Your Success shop for cards, or give them a present of a notepad or print to support or celebrate their training.

How have you found time to train? Share your tips in the comments below