This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Clif Bar & Company. All opinions are 100% mine.

Is it just me or does life seem to be getting busier and busier?

I think I’m reaching a point where I need to start scaling down or putting some constraints on the projects I take on. The problem for working (primarily) for yourself is that you tend to feel the pressure to create MORE, work MORE, and simply do MORE in order to continue to grow and support what you’re doing. That’s probably a post for another day, however, and one after I’ve burnt out or exploded or something because I am stubborn and don’t take my own advice.

ANYWAY, in the midst of all the madness that is my day and week, I have to make sure that I find time to work out. It’s an hour out of the day I have for myself to try my best, work my hardest, and see what I can accomplish. I love it. It’s my meditation and my therapy (when I’m not having a legitimate crisis 🙂 ).

Finding TIME to work out, however, isn’t always easy. It sometimes means waking up at 5:30 am (or earlier — gross), but I know that what I get out of it is much better than the grumbling I’m doing as I roll out of bed. Not everyone has an entire hour or as flexible of a schedule, so I wanted to take some time to share how you can get more activity into your day.

I’ve partnered up with CLIF Bar’s nutrition partner, Bob Seebohar, to share my tips as well as five get fit tips for everyday energy. In case you are wondering who Bob is, he is one of the top sports dietitians in the country with more than 30 years as a competitive athlete.  He is one of the foremost experts on nutrition for endurance athletes, speaking regularly at national conferences and coaching education clinics. Basically, he knows his stuff.

1. Walk more

With the rise of fitness trackers, people are now acutely aware how active (or not) they are. Even if you don’t have a fitness tracker, chances are that you could always walk a bit more than you do. Try taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If you work at a desk for most of the day, make sure to get up for stretching/walking breaks periodically.

Consider the weather. If it’s nice, take your lunch break outside or walk home in the evening if you can. As long as it’s not -21564567 degrees here in Chicago, you can find me walking all around the city throughout the day to get to different clients.

2. Schedule active time

I schedule all my workouts like client appointments. That way I treat it as important and immovable. If I don’t schedule it and someone tries to move an appointment during that time, I’m much more likely to agree and just say nevermind to my workout. The more importance I give it, the less likely I am to skip it.

3. Energize appropriately

You all know I have a sweet spot for desserts (GET IT??). I can definitely tell when I’ve been eating them too regularly though because I start feeling tired throughout the day and my workouts aren’t quite as good. Before a workout I try to have something small containing simple carbs so that they are digested quickly and I have energy to last the workout.

CLIF recently came out with 2 new flavors for these AMAZING Organic Energy Food pouches that I have been sucking down for a week. At first, I thought they were oatmeal packets I had to make, but when I opened the box I realized they were already prepared in those squeezy pouches and I got super excited. The two new flavors — Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal and  Banana Maple Oatmeal have been perfect before my workouts this week.

A little bit about CLIF Organic Energy Food pouches — they are made from real food ingredients inspired by CLIF BAR athletes. That means no weird ingredients you can’t pronounce or any oils or synthetic preservatives. They are organic and quick to eat a couple hours before you’re planning on getting a workout in.

Following up my workouts, I usually make a protein smoothie if I have time to go home, but if not, I have a couple bars stashed in my backpack. One of those has been the Clif Builder’s Protein Bar since I worked with them last month and realized how delicious they are. No joke.

They’re low glycemic, packed with 20g of protein, and really convenient to just carry with me when I’m on the go to the next thing.

In case you guys are tired of reading by now, I’m sharing Bob’s infographic with more tips on quick workouts you can get in throughout the day and simple ways you can make fitness attainable in your life.

I’d love to hear how you guys make time for exercise and even the little things you do in your day to fit it in. Leave me a comment below!!

Questions:

• How do you make time for fitness?
• What other tips can you offer?