I advise you to adopt running as your primary aerobic activity because, in addition to being an excellent form of exercise, it kicks ass from a time management perspective.

Here is why:

• It is a great Calorie burner – 30 minutes of intense running can burn about 550 Calories for a 200 pound guy.
• It doesn’t require a gym. You can do it almost anywhere and in any weather with some preparation. Once you get practiced, you can be changed and out the door running in less than ten minutes.
• If you have kids, it is a great way to kill time while they are at whatever event you had to taxi them to. The majority of my running takes place while my kids are in karate class. I’ve got a hilly seven-mile route all mapped out that takes me an hour to do, getting me back just when their class is finished. In the dojo parking lot I see plenty of people sitting in their cars scarfing McDonalds and reading the newspaper when they could be doing what I do. These are the same type of people who complain they have no time to exercise. Hockey practice, piano lessons, soccer practice, birthday parties, dentist visits etc. are all great opportunities to go for a run.
• My job requires a moderate amount of business travel, and I always pack my running gear and sometimes do a bit of advance planning on the Net checking out running routes near my hotel.

Now you know why so many of my aerobic exercise examples include references to running. Another reason is that it is an addictive sport, but I hear many people who, before they even try, start with excuses about bad knees or some other ailment which will prevent them from ever starting a running program. Yes, there is a possibility that running may be impossible for you because of a serious pre-existing injury, but what is far more likely is that you just have to suck it up a bit. If you can tough things out, you would be amazed at how much running can actually improve joint strength and reduce pain. If this is you, make sure you pay special attention to Chapter 17 on new and pre-existing injuries. Also, I’m going to get into a lot more details later on regarding what it takes to become a runner, but for now I just wanted to throw it out there and get you thinking about it.

Now down to business. I am not going to preach a bunch of time management theories. Several books have been written on this subject; some of them are okay; others, not so much. I’m not a master of time management and I have no intention of becoming one. To be honest, I’m dubious about it as a discipline. For me, it is closely aligned with what I call “self-help bullshit.”

A former employer of mine had a policy where all management staff had to take a well-known two-day self-help course on being exceptionally productive through adopting a [lucky] number of mannerisms. I’m being deliberately obtuse because I’m going to slam the course now. It was the most mindless drivel I’d ever been exposed to. Two days of having common sense that you should’ve learned by the age of six twisted and paradigmed and proactivated into management mumbo jumbo until my brain turned into protoplasm. Then they try to sell you on day planners and software and… and just barf. I’m skeptical if a time management guru has ever really helped anyone manage their time better. Nevertheless, I didn’t want to crap on the entire industry after taking just one course, so I read a couple of the most popular time management books and they just confirmed my suspicions that this is common sense overcomplicated so someone can sell a book or a course, along with a bunch of add-on crap. Remember, I work in marketing and I know a scam when I see one.

Anyway, I guess I can’t just rant about how it’s all a bunch of BS and not give you any advice at all, because that wouldn’t be terribly productive, so here is my common-sense based “time un-management” advice:

When it comes to time management, nothing is more important than prioritization. An oft-used axiom is that if everything is a priority, then nothing is a priority. You must make the decision that getting in shape is important to you and you will put it before many other things. Another axiom is that no one lies on their deathbed wishing they’d spent more time at the office. Conversely, I think there are probably plenty of people who lie on that same bed wishing they’d spent more time exercising, especially since if they had then they wouldn’t be dying right then. Just because I have an MBA and am a marketing executive doesn’t mean I live for my job.

I put my health and family WAY before career. I could be making a lot more money at a company that wanted to suck my soul dry and expect me to work long hours, but I chose a position at an organization with a much more family-friendly orientation, allowing me enough time to fit exercise into my schedule.

You’ve got lots of responsibilities in your life, but you have to make the decision that it is okay to put yourself first sometimes. If you don’t look after yourself, then who looks after your family when you die young from a massive heart attack or a stroke? Also, being in great health can make you more productive at everything else you do. If you’re in shape then you can be a better husband, a better dad, and even a better employee.

If you make exercise a high priority, you’ll find the time to do it.

Reading this book is a good start, but unlike so many other fitness authors I won’t tell you this is the only fitness book you’ll ever need. My ego isn’t that big (it’s still pretty big, though).

There is lots of good information available out there about diet, exercise and motivation that I can’t possibly cover in this book. This relates to what I wrote in Chapter 2 about getting into the fitness lifestyle. If you truly are dedicated to health, you’re going to keep reading about it after you’ve finished my book. Just remember to have your bullshit detector finely tuned when doing so.

Thirty minutes of going hard with the weights is far better than an hour of farting around in the gym. Running hard for 30 minutes burns more Calories than walking for an hour; it also is better for your heart, lungs, and cholesterol and it improves your ability to train harder with weights.

You’ve got a brain; use it. What do you do that wastes time? Where are the holes in your schedule? What do you need to do to fit exercise into your schedule?

Time management: you figure it out.