[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]Today I’m going to show you how a good friend (healthily) lost 24kgs in 12 months, despite being a full time mum with 2 young kids.

Here’s the hard truth about parenting and exercise:

There are way too many people trying to lose weight with the “New Years Resolution” approach.

They think, “I haven’t worked out in 6 months, so I’ll just fit 6 months of exercise in the next 7 days”….

If only it were that easy…

And as a parent, trying to MAKE time is just PART of the problem.

If you’re serious about making more time for yourself and getting back into shape, you need to create a systematic approach to your goals.

Otherwise you may find that those new running shoes are only used around the house whilst watching Game Of Thrones…

Well today I’m going to show you a technique that almost guarantees you more time so you can kick start your workout goals.

Keep reading to learn:

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The “Time Machine” Technique: (How to make time to exercise, look great and feel 5 years younger)

I know that parents have such limited time.

I also know many women don’t want this lack of time to steer them away from their life goals, in particular their fitness goals.

I know women, who, when they’ve dedicated themselves to a goal just don’t let go. Louise (below) lost 24kgs when she dedicated herself to losing her baby weight.

[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”32px”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”363″ border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_single_image image=”182″ border_color=”grey” img_link_target=”_self” img_size=”large” alignment=”center”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_empty_space height=”50″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/1″][vc_column_text]That’s not even the best part:

You can do the EXACT same thing…even if you don’t have a budget for the gym or much free time.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”100″][vc_column_text]

The 3 steps to using “The Time Machine Technique” to make more time, and start achieving your exercise goals today

 

There are just 3 simple steps to the Time Machine Technique:

Step 1: Adjust your mindset to ensure success (small victories)

Step 2: Structure your day to “make more time”

Step 3: Start working on your “Machine” and get that body in shape

Here’s why you’re going to love this technique, and why it’s like a “time machine” for your workout:

Imagine you find a time machine…

If you were to go back 5 years, how would you feel?

You’d be back in shape, more confident and full of energy!

And that’s how you would feel today if you were back in shape.

It’s not your age that defines your life.

It’s the action you take that defines how you look and feel!

Suddenly, you will have the energy to do so much more with the day…..

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Step #1: Adjust Your Mindset For Success

Remember those New Years Resolution workouts?

The reason we don’t reach our fitness goals is we put so much pressure on ourselves to succeed that we feel overwhelmed and end up just giving up. We expect to be able to work out at the same intensity we did 5 years ago.

And giving up certainly feels more comfortable than continuing to fight with ourselves every day.

So here’s the thing:

Did you ever do a foreign language at school?

Let’s say you spoke French. You did further studies, you even took a field trip there and fell head over heels for a local. Then you came home and haven’t uttered a word of French for years.

If you tried to speak French again today, there’s no hope you would be at the same standard.

So if you met that same person again in the street today would you just give up, walk away and decide not to practice how to speak French?

Or would you learn a little more each day and improve gradually?

You would keep practicing of course!

So why are you judging your workouts that way?

You can’t work out like you used to. Not yet anyway…

You need to build reasonable goals and start with achievable steps.

 

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Change the way you set goals (Focus on the journey)

 

Tell me if this is goal setting story rings true for you:

You have this awesome goal you strive towards. Every day you work towards it…and every day you miss the target for one reason or another.

How can you keep up the willpower to keep on pushing on?

Let’s turn this on its head and realise that if you focus only on the result of your goal, every day will feel like a mini failure when you look in the mirror and don’t see a swimsuit model.

So start thinking of your goals like this instead: (because its way more fun and quicker to achieve):

Break you goals down into “chapters” or levels of success.

Each day work towards each chapter and don’t focus on anything but that chapter. The rest are irrelevant for now.

And then something strange will happen:

Each day you start to make small improvements. You see more ‘mini victories’ that push you forward.

These mini victories are your motivation to keep progressing.

By only focusing on the one chapter you stop worrying about how you’ll achieve the final goal. And you’ll actually get there faster!

Here’s what you need to do now:

• Write down your goal weight to lose, and how much you need to lose to reach that goal.
• Grab the calculator on your phone and divide it into 10 chapters
• Write down a reward for yourself when you hit each “chapter”. Only by rewarding your hard work will you continue on each chapter. (Rewards mean endorphins, and our brain wants endorphins so badly we will forever associate the good feeling with the task that got us there. You can cheat your brain!)
• Let us know in the comments your rewards! Remember comfort food is not a great way to reward yourself. How about going to the movies with friends instead?

 

Create a Mantra

Repetition is the mother of skill.

It’s as cliché as they come but its incredibly true. One of the most important parts to achieving any goal is to believe in it.

 

“If you think you can do a thing

or think you can’t do a thing, you’re right.”

Henry Ford

Break down your tasks and let your small victories be rewarded. Don’t defeat yourself before you have started.

In the last actionable step you broke your goals down into chapters. Now take these chapters and add your ‘can do anything’ mindset and you have a recipe for success!

 

So here’s what I want you to do:

Create a mantra for yourself.

Have you ever have that moment when jogging or running and in your head you hum a song to your steps?

Do you find music helps you keep your breath and not focus on the exercise too much?

Find something to fit that rhythm. Something you can repeat every morning before you get on with your day.

“I will exercise today. I will exercise tomorrow”

 

I know it seems cheesy but here’s what will happen:

• The first time you say it will feel a little strange
  
• The second time you have a little more confidence
• The third time you believe its a possibility
• The fourth you start to picture what obstacles you would have to face
• The fifth time you see yourself conquering those obstacles

 

Imagine what would happen if you do this on a daily basis? Something so simple could really change every day from the moment you read this! Remember repetition is the mother of skill, so keep going until you squash any negativity regarding getting up and working out.

Use the power of visualisation

This is SUPER simple.

Have you ever saved up for anything? Something you really wanted like new shoes, a jacket or even a new car? Did you keep a photo of it on your phone or keep stalking the sales page online in all your free time?

It took sooo long to save up, but you knew you wanted it. You could see yourself owning it. You could picture the situations that would happen from having it.

I have spoken to people who have had dreams about their material wants.

Take the example of a new pair of shoes.

You could probably see the shoes in your mind. The colour, the shape. You could see yourself sat at your desk or heading out for a drink and everyone saying how nice they are.

You worked hard, maybe even saved up and bought the shoes. You achieved your goal (buying the shoes) through the power of visualisation.

So you already have your mantra, now let’s try reinforcing your mantra with a visual trigger.

So do this:

• Pick a photo of yourself (or a role model you admire) and put it on your wall or fridge. Someone you would love to look like.
• Take a photo and add it to your phone.
• Remember your mantra and remember that picture on your wall. Have it next to your gym gear before you even put it on.
• Remember that image when it gets difficult. Remember why you want it. Not just looking of course. How do they feel? Your role model probably looks energised and healthy. They probably feel that way too.

Go on:

Go grab that image and save it to your phone.

Print it and stick it to your fridge.

Even easier is to find an image from any magazine and Blue-tack it to your wall.

Measure your goals

What gets measured gets managed!

It’s a well-known truth that those who do well at almost anything are the ones who focus on their goals.

But the truly successful ones are people who measure and manage each step.

By creating “benchmarks” or having small steps to work towards, you can break down your large task or weight goal into smaller chunks.

What’s your weight goal to drop?

Its important to realise that as you exercise more you will build muscle. So don’t just set a goal for weight loss.

Instead measure the changes you make everywhere on your body. Grab a tape measure and take measurements.

Then each week be sure to measure yourself. You will see a faster change in the tape measure than on the scale or in the mirror.

Remember the small victories. By measuring yourself you can stay focused and positive towards your goal.

So you can measure your progress easily, we created a PDF version of how to consistently measure your body for weight loss here:

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Step #2: Structure Your Day To “Make More Time”

One of the biggest steps my friend faces as a full time mum is finding the time to exercise. But she looks amazing! She made health her priority.

But would you like to know a secret?

It’s because she doesn’t make excuses.

She didn’t believe she could drop the weight at first. Something else always came up, or she was too tired.

Adjusting her mindset gave her the MOST free time and energy she had ever had.

So let’s take that positive mindset and discover the truth behind ‘creating more time’

 

Use Time Effectively

 

Keep procrastination at bay with this little tip:

In his book “Eat the Frog” Brian Tracy talks about the best methods to be more productive.

His view on productivity is this: if your life depended on eating a frog every day, you’d probably want to do it first thing in the morning to get it over and done with, so you wouldn’t be dreading it all day long.

Make sure you do the thing you find the most difficult first thing in the morning.

All the thinking and worrying is a waste of valuable energy.

So take action and start the day as you intend to!

The art of “finding time”

One of the biggest objections we hear is that you can’t afford a babysitter to look after the kids. And so you can’t make time to exercise…

So we ask – could you use your partner?

Before your partner and kids even wake up could you find an hour to grab some time to yourself and break a sweat?

I guarantee you’ll feel refreshed and organised for your day and then be there for the kids/partner/cats/dog.

Bonus of an early riser 1: Early mornings are not for everyone. But if you can get started before your brain has a chance to kick in then you can’t start thinking up excuses why not. In fact, you’ll be finished and full of spirit-lifting endorphins before you get a chance to worry!

Bonus of an early riser 2: ‘Happy hormones’ created whilst exercising can kick start your day so much better than a coffee can!

“Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise”

Benjamin Franklin

 

Increase your Z’s

As simple as it sounds, when we finally get a moment to ourselves we often stay up late and then feel too exhausted to do anything the following day.

Some days we really are exhausted, (believe me I know) but gently changing your sleeping pattern is a really effective and simple way to get started.

Early to bed and early to rise is a deciding factor in achieving your goals. Just ask any of the pioneering entrepreneurs on this list.

By structuring your sleep, you can structure your days and take charge!

Get that early morning exercise in and you’ll soon relish the pattern to your day!

Stop lounging and start lunging!

Finally don’t have a job to do?

If time is a major factor, and all you have is 5 minutes, then use those 5 minutes!

If you don’t believe that, then get this:

Tim Ferriss of the famous book ‘The 4hr Body” believes that 4 hours of exercise a week is all you need to maintain a healthy and vibrant body.

One of the tactics he uses is to fill any free time with exercise (seriously, he does squats in toilet stalls!)

So you could take a leaf out his book and fill up your free time with exercise:

• Turn on your favourite TV show, but work out at the same time.
• Do lunges whilst watching.
• Curl weights during the adverts.
• Do squats like that booty depends on it!

Be more organised with your workouts

Schedule a whole week of workouts in advance.

Set up a specific time for your day (ideally in the morning) and stick to it. You already have your visual goal on the wall and your gym bag ready under it.

 

“Walkie-Talkie” Time

Often the quality time with friends we have is at the bar or over a bottle of wine on the sofa.

It can be easy to rely on alcohol to ‘wind down’.

Ironically exercise actually reduces our stress hormones much better than wine ever could.

So organise activities instead. Go for walks, hike up hills, or visit a waterfall. Walking is a great bonding exercise and a much better way to connect with your friends than trying to talk across a bar.

And the bonus:

You’ll do something far more rewarding like burning calories, raising endorphins and feeling great!

(And you’ll save cash)

Keep a workout bag ready at all times

Did you ever see the Bourne Identity? The secret agent who was ready for anything.

At the drop of a hat, he can leap through a window, fight some insurgents, land on a motorbike with his grab-bag of money and passports and be gone.

How?

He’s prepared….

Pretend you’re a secret agent and have your “Go Bag” ready at a moments notice. Take it with you in the car.

Sometimes you don’t have the time to exercise. But other times the moment will present itself and it will simply take too long to go get your gear.

Be ready at all times – you secret agent you!

 

Prime yourself for your best day

Each morning I make sure to “prime” myself for the day. I get my sweat on and listen to something motivational to get my head in the game – usually with Tony Robbins, or someone motivational.

Tony reminds me that writing down your goal is only 20% of the way.

80% of your achievement is based on your mindset. Don’t be afraid to take those small steps. You’ve already taken the first by reading this far!

 

 

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Step #3: Start working on your “Machine” and get that body in shape

So now you’re mentally prepared, you KNOW you can do this and you have set a time to work out, no matter how short.

Your gym bag is packed like a secret agent and you have a clear vision in your mind of how you’re going to look and most importantly feel thanks to your new mindset.

And you now understand that small actions will help towards much larger goals. Remember by changing your mindset you are 80% there.

All you need now are some simple exercises to get you started.

Simple Compound Exercises

Getting started is paramount to the Time Machine Technique. It doesn’t matter which workout program you start as long as you start working out!

Nike hit the nail on the head with their “Just Do It!” slogan.

You can move on to new workouts and exercise programs down the road but to see results you need to pick one and work on it. There are some incredible paid and free resources available on the internet. Even better would be to commit to a personal trainer.

4 weeks is all we ask!

Let’s focus on the key exercises that are nice and easy to get back into with the focus on maximum rewards.

You may not be able to work out every day but try to keep structure to your workout routine. (What gets measured gets managed!)

Don’t forget: adequate rest for your muscles to grow and repair is more important than fitting in extra workouts!

Remember we work out so we have more energy, not so we can’t move the next day and quit the day after that. Think marathon, not sprint.

 

Take this sample workout if you’d like to. I’m not a personal trainer but I’ve personally seen the results of taking one day at a time through being an AntiGravity® instructor.(Remember when starting a new workout routine ALWAYS consult your doctor or health professional first! Monitor your own resistance, drink plenty of water and enjoy yourself!)

These are all explained below.

Day 1:

Cardio/ HIITtraining

Day 2:

• Star Jumps (Warm Up) / skipping
• Squats
• Lunges
• Push Ups

Day 3:

Rest!

 

Weeks 1-2 Jogging and Walking – some advice on how to start your cardio

Nothing too crazy to begin with. By starting with small walks and jogs you will begin to increase your lung capacity. More oxygen definitely helps when you want to exercise!

When you start out you may find yourself getting a stitch or ‘burning’ lungs. This is just them getting used to working a little harder than usual.

This will also release those endorphins to help you feel GREAT as well as continue to burn calories during the day. Our goal here is not to lose weight but to start feeling great about exercise and its benefits.

Learn your limits. You need to be able to exercise again in a few days so don’t burn yourself out on day 1!

Set yourself a circuit to do. Perhaps around your block and back to the house. As you get better you can increase the number of times you complete the circuit.

The trick to remember is that even marathon runners don’t practice with 20km runs daily.

They start at 5km, then 6km the next week, then 7km the week after and upwards from there.

Build towards those goals and let your lungs get used to the work!

Weeks 3-4

Tabata Training

Now that you’re starting to jog more, its time to increase your output.

Your body needs to be pushed to grow.

But rather than increase the distance and time spent, be more efficient. Tabata is a timing method designed to break your training down into intervals. It features a repeating pattern of 90 seconds of working at low intensity followed by 30 seconds of high intensity for around 8 minutes.

You can download the timer for Iphone here for free here.

The goal is to just add small bursts of higher activity.

This will not only get the heart and lungs working harder but again burn more calories and help you reduce the amount of time you need to exercise for!

Compound Squats

Want a 6 pack? Well steer away from crunches.

Instead we’ll focus on compound movements to work your entire body. By working your legs and butt you actually burn more calories, work more muscles and tone your entire body.

The vertical movement actually engages your core to create an overall tone and definition. Here’s a little article from Nicola over at foreverfit.tv, which says it all really.

Start with:

3 (sets) x 5 (Repetitions)

i.e Do 5 squats and then rest. Repeat this 3 times.

Like anything the first time through will be difficult. But as your muscles and technique improves we will push you a little harder.

Week 2

3 (sets) x 10 (Repetitions)

Week 3

3 (sets) x 15 (Repetitions)

Week 4

3 (sets) x 20 (Repetitions)

Because your legs are a huge muscle group you can normally push them harder than other muscles. We use them every day so they get pretty strong.

But we also don’t realise our limits of what our legs can do. It’s common for beginners to overwork their legs and then not be able to walk the next day!

Remember:

• Make sure you warm down your muscles and stretch them.
• REST to be able to grow and repair
• Increase the amount of protein you eat to help repair those muscles faster. (eggs, quinoa, chicken, protein shakes etc)

 

SQUAT TECHNIQUE AND WALK-THROUGH HERE

 

 

Lunges

3 (sets) x 5 (Repetitions) ALTERNATE EACH SIDE

Another leg exercise. We’re focusing on the muscles you already use and have available to work out with from day 1.

Lunges are brilliant. They work your core, back, legs and cardio if done with intensity.

Week 2

3 (sets) x 10 (Repetitions)

Week 3

3 (sets) x 15 (Repetitions)

Week 4

3 (sets) x 20 (Repetitions)

Remember:

Stretch your legs after your workout!

LUNGE TECHNIQUE AND WALK-THROUGH HERE

Pushups

So far we’ve focused on legs only as they are muscles we use daily. Depending on your normal activities this may be where it gets a little difficult.

Pushups are a compound exercise and work so many muscle groups (just like squats)

Your chest, arms, shoulders back and core all get worked during a push up.

Week 1

On knees (unless able)

3 (sets) x 5 (Repetitions)

Week 2

3 (sets) x 6 (Repetitions)

Week 3

3 (sets) x 8 (Repetitions)

Week 4

3 (sets) x 10 (Repetitions)

Remember that you need to start with small increments to make sure you STICK to your goals.

Don’t overwhelm yourself and try to jump in at 3 x 25 every day until you can’t move!

Star jumps

As we’re working on cardio on separate days, you still need to warm up your body to get ready to work it!

2 (sets) x 25 (Repetitions)

That’s right – 50 star jumps to get you nice and warm and feeling awesome. This is an exercise you simply can’t do without a smile on your face.

For good form and to reduce injury to your knees, only move your legs shoulder width apart.

Remember to warm down too by stretching.

If you haven’t worked out in a while it will take time to build yourself up, so make a commitment to longevity.

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So There You Have It…

When implemented, the Time Machine Technique really does make you feel 5 years younger. And it’s a simple strategy that focuses on a complete set of tools that start with just tiny changes in your day-to-day routine.

There are just 3 simple steps to the Time Machine Technique:

Step 1: Adjust your mindset to ensure success (small victories create big wins)

Step 2: Structure your day to “Make more time”

Step 3: Start working on your “Machine” and get that body in shape

 

Following these 6 steps creates more time and gets you feeling great and full of energy!

#1 ) Change the way you set goals by focusing on the journey rather than the result.

#2 ) Repetition is the mother of skill. Develop skills by practice and watch the result simply unfold

#3 ) Remember visualisation makes dreams a reality

#4 ) What gets measured gets managed

#5 ) Research productivity tips – workout time is everywhere!

#6 ) The real secret is just to start

 

Challenge yourself and become your best self!

 

[alert color=”#00b5fe“](DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE PDF VERSION OF THE WORKOUT GUIDE HERE)[/alert]

In our next article I’d love to share how including a flexibility routine into your workout will give you amazing results and take your workout to the next level!

In the meantime,

Health and Happiness,

Freyja

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