How to Incorporate Exercise into a Busy Schedule
Written by Summer Bailey, MD
For most healthy adults, the department of health and human services recommends the following exercise guidelines: get at least 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity a week. Sounds easy right? What about getting that recommended about of exercise when you have a busy work schedule, such as 60-80 hour work weeks during residency? Sometimes our physical health can be hard to dedicate time to, but it is important to take care of ourselves before we can take care of others. In residency, that can become something we lose sight of. When I was in my previous medical residency, I started my intern year being able to fit exercise and healthy eating into my routine. However, as my schedule changed and situations changed, I found myself losing touch with the ability to eat healthy foods and to put exercise into my schedule. I ended up gaining 50 pounds in my previous program and one of my goals after leaving that program and before re-entering medical residency was to reach my pre-residency weight and get back into my healthy habits. As physicians, we will be giving countless medical and health advice to patients, and I just didn’t feel right now being my healthiest and best self while taking care of others. Over the past couple of years, I have learned some tips and tricks with my current busy schedule that I will be using in my new program and that I hope works for someone out there.
Find an exercise routine and schedule that fits you: there are so many options out there for exercise - whether that’s a group fitness class, buying at-home gym equipment, or downloading a phone app that’s dedicated to exercise. The most important piece of advice I can give is to find an activity you can look forward to doing and that motivates you to get up and put time into your physical fitness.
Schedule your exercise time into your schedule: similar to how you may schedule out your day of clinic, your night call in the hospital, or time to finish charts at home, put a place in your calendar for your physical fitness. If you go to group classes, signing up for classes ahead of time can give you a sense of accountability to go to class. If there is another resident you can do classes with, set up a chat with them where you both motivate each other the night before and also help with one another’s accountability. Once you make time for your exercise, the hardest part is showing up.
Not all exercise has to be moderate or vigorous: don’t feel like going to a gym or doing a difficult class? Sometimes, just a walk around your neighborhood or a low-impact yoga class at home is all you can fit in and all that you need to do. Residency tends to keep us on our feet (literally and figuratively) and similarly to residency, not every day that we dedicate to our physical fitness is going to be perfect. But just remembering that every little bit that you can do will count and make a difference is so important.
Take rest days when you can: similar to having a day of rest during residency, make sure you have a day where you don’t exercise. I am a firm believer in having a day of the week where you recharge and regroup; not only is this important for your mental health, but it will help your muscles and body recover from whatever exercise you participated in.
All of these tips are ones that I live by, but more important than exercise is a healthy diet. I will be sharing my story soon about my healthy eating journey in another blog soon and I can’t wait to talk about it!
