Spring is finally in the air, and it's time to start freshening up around the house and office, so why not freshen up our workouts and mindset too? It's easy to get caught up in our business and forget about other important things like our health. I've owned my own business for ten years now, and it's not always easy to get my workouts in even though I OWN A GYM! Believe it or not, it's even difficult for me to get going, but there are ways to get moving and make it stick. Just know that it's normal that we put our business before our health at times but remember that it's important to take care of you too! Below are some tips that you can apply to help you stay in check as your career takes off.

1. Set SMART goals.

We do it for our business, so why not our fitness goals? Set simple, more achievable goals to give you a few wins under your belt to help motivate yourself further. ie: get in 5 mins of stretching a day, get to the gym, or going for a walk/run 3x this week, cut out carbs at dinner twice this week. Long-term goals are important, but getting a win early will help you stay on track and help you focus on the little things that add up and help get you that BIG win.

2. Find yourself sitting at a desk more than you'd like?

Try to stand up periodically and stretch. If you sit for long periods at a time, your psoas muscle (hip flexors) can shorten and cause your hips to tilt forward over time, putting a lot of strain on your back and other joints. Find some hip flexor stretches you can do while at the office when you get a break or at the gym to include in your workout routine.

3. Try a circuit routine at the gym!

Circuits are a great way to burn extra calories you don't get from just cardio or the standard weight routine. When time is of the essence, I tend to set clients up on a circuit program because you get a lot done in a short amount of time. Circuits target what is known as EPOC (exercise post oxygen consumption), which means how much energy your body is requiring after you complete your routine. Essentially, you burn more calories for hours after you're done with circuit training than just sustained cardio that ends after around 30 minutes. Not only does circuit training increase your strength and BMR (Basil Metabolic Rate), but it burns an effective amount of calories in a short amount of time so you can get in and out to get back to work quickly!

4. Hire a trainer.

Believe it or not, trainers aren't always drill instructors that push you past your limits and help you find out what you're "Really made of!" There are trainers like myself who can develop a program tailored to the client and structure around your lifestyle and injuries. If you are busy with your career, then sometimes we don't get in our daily exercise because we are too busy to think about what to do and don't want to put the time in to research to figure out how to "like it" this time around. Hire a trainer and let them help you get on track so you can think about what's important to you in your career.

In a nutshell, don't let "time" be your excuse to not take care of yourself. Taking care of your well-being will also help your business achieve new limits. Start with small steps and build your interest in fitness and wellness gradually, not overnight.

"If you aim at nothing, you will hit it every time." - Zig Ziglar.

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Bret Spencer is a personal trainer & owner of Snap Fitness Hayden Lake