Working out when you’re busy can be tough. Scratch that, it’s definitely tough!

Between work, making time for friends and family, pursuing any sort of side hustle, hanging out with your significant other, and you know, having some time to just RELAX, working out can see like an absolute impossibility some days

But fear not ladies, I’ve compiled a list of “workout hacks” from our own experience make fitting that workout into your day that much easier. Some of them might be obvious, and some of them might be a little wacky, but, hey, when it comes to getting our sweat on, whatever works, right?!

1. Workout at home

Even if your gym is less than a mile from your house, the time it takes to change into gym clothes, gather all your stuff, drive to the gym, park and get into your workout groove can easily add up and extend the time commitment needed for your workout.

So, the easy solution here? Shave off those commute minutes by taking your workout inside your home! There are SO many options out there today for home workouts, from subscription programs, to paid programs, to online YouTube workouts that are absolutely free!

Need some recommendations on where to start? Check out these home-friendly workout options:

• Daily Burn – Daily Burn is an online subscription program that costs just $19.95 for literally hundreds of workout videos. Everything from barre videos to HIIT training and more. We especially like their filtering options – simply select the difficulty level, desired time of workout, type of workout (or any/none of the above), and the platform will return workout video results that suit exactly what you’re looking for. Try it today free for 30 days.
• Kayla Itsines’ Bikini Body Guide – This 12-week program will kick.your.butt. And the best part? Workouts are just 20 minutes each and sometimes twice a day, but you can do them from pretty much anywhere since they require no equipment other than maybe a yoga mat. If you have an event coming up, or are just looking a way to jump start your fitness journey, her 12-week program is a great option.
• Blogilates – I’ve already sang Cassey Ho’s praises a plenty here, but her workouts are designed to be done from home. 99% of them require no equipment but a yoga mat (and some you won’t even need a mat for!) I’m a big fan of her HIIT/PIIT workouts, and her cornerstone fitness programs: pilates.

2. Workout in your pajamas.

Not kidding. Sometimes the struggle of getting out of bed, dragging yourself to the coffee machine AND picking out and putting on workout clothes just seems like too much to manage before 7 am in the morning. I get it.

This simple tweak (and the mental adjustment of, “Hey, it’s okay for me to not be in lululemon right now to have a good workout”) revolutionized my motivation levels before 7 am in the morning!

Here’s exactly how I do it – I normally sleep in sleep shorts and a tee-shirt. So when I want to fit in my morning workout, I swap my tee-shirt for a sports bra and get to work. Most home workouts don’t even require sneakers, so changing into “workout clothes” for home literally doesn’t get ANY easier than that!

Of course, this only works well if you’re working out at home. Wearing pajamas to your Soul Cycle class might cause some funny looks…

Another way to steal this hack is to sleep in your “workout clothes” – at least a sports bra – to minimize changing time.

3. Combine fitness & social hour

Fitness can be the most fun when it’s shared with friends. It’s also a great multi-tasking method to workout with friends! Plus, many experts say that the ideal workout threshold is when you’re still able to “talk, but not sing,” so working out with a friend can help keep you in peak cardio zones.

Here are some great ideas for combining fitness and friendship:

• Go for a long walk in a park, on the beach, or to explore any new destination you’ve had your time on. Use the time to log your steps AND catch up on each others lives.
• Have your eye on a new workout class? Grab a friend and go together!
• Itching for a brunch date? Schedule a workout + brunch combo meet up. You have to refuel post-workout somehow, right?
• Speaking of “meet up,” maybe you’re looking to make some new friends while working out? Checkout meetup.com for local clubs and workouts in your area. Or you can even create your OWN workout group, if you that’s more up your alley.

4. Have a “go to” workout

Nothing aids a busy schedule like routine. So, having a “go to” workout that you can rely on to get you what you need on the busiest days is a huge help. For me, I like to have some sort of a circuit that combines cardio and strength, and focuses on my target areas (*ahem* abs and booty), that I can repeat for the amount of time I have available.

Here’s one of my go to workouts:

-1 minute of jumping jacks
-1 minute of lunges
-1 minute of plank jacks
-1 minute of plank hold
-1 minute of burpees
-1 minute of crunches
-1 minute of high knees
-1 minute of push ups
-1 minute of mountain climbers
-1 minute of squats/squat hold

…And repeat for as much time as you have available to you!

This way you also know exactly how much time your workout is going to take – if I do one round, it’s 10 minutes. If I do one and a half rounds it’s 15 minutes. And so on, and so forth.

5. Remember: something is better than nothing

Sometimes you don’t have time for an hour-long workout. Sometimes you don’t even have time for 20 or 30 minute workout! And that’s okay. Fitness and taking care of yourself is a lifestyle, so any time you’re able to work it into your day is a check in the “win” column.

When you really can’t find the time, do what I call the 50-50-50 Quick Workout: 50 squats, 50 crunches, 50 pushups. Done. Probably will take you no more than 5 minutes, so you can squeeze it in any time!

Those are our top tips for “hacking” your workouts for your busiest days – do you have any workout hacks for when you’re busy to share? Add them in the comments!