4 Simple Ways to Squeeze in Exercise During Busy Season
During tax season, accountants become accustomed to burning the midnight oil. Our long days turn into nights and nights into weekends. In the midst of our busy routines, it’s hard enough to balance career, family and a multitude of other obligations, let alone give adequate attention to physical exercise.
Carving out time for regular exercise is vital. Not only does it come with a variety of health benefits, but it also helps your mind work more efficiently. By investing in yourself and devoting energy to daily exercise, you will reap the rewards of better physical and emotional health as well as enhanced cognitive function – something we all need in order to conquer the busy season.
Here are some simple tips to fit exercise into your daily schedule and maximize every moment of your day:
- Change it up.
Many people are reluctant to commit to a particular style of exercise – and that’s okay. Whether you’re heading to yoga class, going for a swim or taking a brisk walk on your lunch break, you’re still getting the benefits of physical activity. Because every activity has its strong points, trying a variety of them will allow you to strengthen your body in many ways, while not reaching a plateau with a single type of exercise.
- Find your flow.
It can take a month or more to develop a new habit, so make sure you carve out time for physical exercise and stick with it. Some people find that it helps to hire a personal trainer for the first few weeks. Having a set appointment with another person makes it more difficult to skip that daily workout. Many people even have their trainer come to their office on lunch break. Once you have been exercising regularly for a month, you will find that making time for exercise becomes second nature.
- Pencil it in.
Accountants diligently plug away at their work in a variety of pursuits. We have times of the year when it’s hard to grab a lunch, much less a full workout. In reality, exercise is extremely important work, too, because it will help you be more productive in the long run. Treat it like any other task and pencil it into your agenda. This will ensure that your days don’t fill up and your schedule doesn’t elbow out a healthy habit.
- Take advantage of each minute.
Do you try to park as close as possible to the office or grocery store entrance? Do you find yourself riding the elevator every day? Taking shortcuts such as these can be detrimental to your health. Allowing just a few extra minutes in the morning to walk into work or go up those five sets of stairs, will certainly pay off in the end. Don’t just work exercise into your life; make it part of your life.
Once you’ve developed a habit of getting physical activity every day, you’ll likely find that the benefits far outweigh the troubles of trying to fit it into your schedule. If you make the time and take advantage of every minute of the day, you will see results. The physical and psychological effects of exercise will make your mind and body stronger while allowing for optimal performance both on the job and outside the office.
Gary M. Kaplan, MAcc, MST, CPA, founder of Gary M. Kaplan, C.P.A., P.A. Gary, practicing as a CPA since 1997, earned a Masters in Accounting at Nova Southeastern University and Masters in the Science of Taxation at Florida International University.
Exercise class courtesy of Shutterstock
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Source: AICPA