Squeezing in a jog during the week is a constant struggle for many. Luckily, there are ways to fit in some physical activity in your jam-packed week.



Schedule time for yourself: If exercising has become a goal and priority of yours, then make time in your schedule for it. Mark in your planner three or four times a week you want to set aside for just yourself and hit the gym or track.

After a few weeks, you will be in the habit of going to the gym. Exercising will become part of your routine like brushing your teeth in the morning.

Wake up early: A way to make more time in your day is to wake up earlier. Instead of hitting the snooze button five times, wake up the first time the alarm goes off and go for a jog. You will find yourself having more energy throughout your day when exercising becomes part of your daily routine.

The buddy system: Having a friend to exercise with in the morning will help motivate you to get out of bed. You will not want to let your workout buddy down by canceling your morning run because you decided to sleep in longer.

Stairs are your new friend: If the elevator is something you see on a daily basis, it might be time to say goodbye to it. Using the stairs instead can help burn many more calories than pressing that button to the fifth floor.

At the mall, there are escalators that do the work for you. Instead, walk up the escalator just as you would a set of stairs.

TV time can be useful: If the 11 o'clock news is in your daily routine, then make that time useful and burn those extra calories from the baked potato you had at dinner. While watching the news you can do a number of different abdominal workouts, push-ups or stretches.

Make lunch and coffee breaks count: At work, instead of taking that extra-long lunch or coffee break with co-workers, go for a walk instead. You won't be too exhausted or sweaty when you come back to work, and you will feel better about burning those extra calories instead of having that doughnut on your break.

Add more to errands and chores: There are numerous times during the day that you probably find yourself just standing around. You stand in line at the store, waiting for the bus, or at the stove sauteing. Well, use that time to burn calories and tone your muscles.

While in line at the store, you can stand with your feet together and lift both your heels up and down working your calf muscles. Raising your legs to the side can help work your outer thighs as well. Also, you can pick something out of your grocery cart and do bicep curls with it.

At home, you can do jumping-jacks or run in place while you wait for the water to boil on the stove.

The kitchen table chair is a wonderful way to help tone your arms. While you are waiting for your dinner to heat up, place a chair behind you and squat down in front of it. Place your palms on the seat of the chair with your fingers facing away from you and push yourself up and down. This will help strengthen your triceps.

There is no one, simple way to fit exercising into your unique schedule. Find what best suits your lifestyle, family, career and social life and it will soon become part of your daily routine.