When it comes to exercise, a little goes a long way. Trying to balance this with work and a social life with just a few limited hours can seem challenging. But following a one-hour fitness routine is essentially only 4% of the day and a half an hour routine would be a mere 2%. Over a period, devoting this time to self-care would contribute substantially to our growth. It’s only with this mindset that we can achieve success personally and professionally, because why must one of them suffer at the cost of the other? And there’s no better day than to start taking care of your health than today.

There are multiple ways to incorporate fitness when you’re doing a 9 to 5 job that is demanding. Squeezing in a workout right at the beginning of a day not only keeps the adrenaline pumping, but also leaves you feeling energetic through the rest of the day. Not to forget, it’s also more peaceful in the mornings and you’re away from responsibilities, while you indulge in that little me-time. If you’re not a gym freak, a morning run or a walk would be a good alternative while you’re boosting your Vitamin D levels. Practices like running errands on foot, using the staircase you so dread instead of the elevator, attending to calls while getting in a few extra steps, using furniture as makeshift gym equipment, aiming to drink an extra glass of water, monitoring your breathing, and more – are small lifestyle changes that can be inculcated easily in one’s lifestyle. These may seem trivial now but end up surmounting to a benevolent outcome.

All of this, however, would be for nought if you also do not establish a clear work-life balance. When we let too much work take over our lives, we experience fatigue, falling sick, and in extreme cases, even complete burnout. This is especially true since the advent of the pandemic, and technology doesn’t help either. In recent times, due to remote working and easy access, work tends to bleed into our personal spaces and before you know it, our lives start to completely revolve around work. To avoid this issue, a clear schedule should be put into place with set goals to be achieved through the day, including fitness and you’ll be amazed at how you respond to it physically and mentally. Fortunately, to help with scheduling, we have access to calendars, planners, apps, and other tools that assist in planning out our days better. These are also beneficial in squeezing in a workout or a walk to help regain your focus.

A key ingredient to a healthy lifestyle is consistency. Following a wholesome schedule for a week or two is not adequate, the journey to seeing results is slow however it’s one that is worth the wait. It’s extremely important to not lose motivation when you aren’t initially seeing instant results, the energetic positive feeling you’ll derive from this would be a lot more valuable than some numbers on the scale. This is something that has become a practice from me as I enjoy going for runs and making time for them every day. Being a full-time mother and entrepreneur can be taxing sometimes and working out is the stress-buster that keeps me moving forward. So through personal experience, I would definitely advocate starting small, and not giving up along the way.

– By Vineeta Singh, Co-founder & CEO, SUGAR Cosmetics.