How to find time to exercise. Start from the week you have.
You do not need to reinvent your life to fit fitness in.
Start from the week you actually have, not the one you wish you had. Look at each day and find what can realistically fit, sometimes only a few minutes. Book it like a meeting, keep a shorter version for the days that fall apart, and hand off whatever eats time you do not have. With my clients, the whole method takes about three hours a week, often less.
Find the time in six steps.
- 1. Map a real week. Write down what actually happened last week, not what the diary promised. The gaps show up quickly: early mornings, the end of calls, travel days.
- 2. Decide what fits each day. Some days take a full session, some only a few minutes. Both count, and planning both is what stops a busy day from becoming a lost week.
- 3. Book it like a meeting. In the diary, with a start time. If something moves it, move it; do not delete it.
- 4. Keep a short version ready. For the days that fall apart: a few minutes of movement at home or in a hotel room, so the habit holds even when the session cannot.
- 5. Hand off what eats your time. Food shopping, preparation, anything that takes hours you do not have. Pay for it or simplify it, so the time goes to training and recovery.
- 6. Review the week. What happened, what did not, and what the next week needs. The plan changes; the habit stays.
Your life will not bend. The plan has to.
Most fitness advice assumes a version of life that does not exist for my clients: hours free for meal preparation, a predictable schedule, energy to spare. A tight schedule is not a temporary phase to push through. It is your life, and the plan has to fit around it.
"There is always a way. Seeing it simply is where the complexity actually is, and that is what experience buys you." After 19 years in health and fitness, 15 of them as a one-to-one personal trainer, that is still how I think about it.
Five places to look.
- Before the day starts. Before breakfast, before the first email. Meetings have not reached that part of the day yet, which is why many of my clients train then.
- Between calls. Short bursts of activity: the stairs, a brisk walk, a few squats to your chair. Research links short bursts of activity with better health, even in people who do no formal exercise.
- On the move. Calls that do not need a screen can be taken walking.
- Travel days. A hotel room is enough for a full session. Planned before you pack, it happens; left to chance, it usually does not.
- The weekend. The longer session the weekdays could not hold, without taking the whole morning.
Short bursts of activity: Nature Medicine, 2022. A link found across a group of people, not a promise for any one person.
A plan that moves with your week.
Every plan is written and adjusted by me personally, around your diary, at home, in a hotel room or in a gym. When the week changes, the plan changes with it. We do not start by cutting food, so there is no new routine of weighing and cooking to find time for.
We speak every week or two, your choice. You get a written review every week, replies within one UK working day, and Mr Z, my AI coach, between calls.
What people ask first
How much time do I really need to exercise?
Less than most people expect. With my clients, the whole method takes about three hours a week, often less. What matters more is that it happens every week, including the busy ones.
What is the best time of day to exercise with a busy schedule?
The time that survives your diary. For many of my clients, that is before breakfast, before the day takes over. If your mornings are not yours, pick the slot that is most often free and protect it.
What if my schedule changes every week?
Then the plan has to change every week too. Plan a full version and a short version of each day, and choose between them as the week unfolds. That is the part I adjust for my clients.
Is a short workout worth doing?
Yes. Research links short bursts of activity with better health, even in people who do no formal exercise. A few minutes on a bad day also keeps the habit alive for the good ones.
How do I keep exercising when I travel for work?
Plan the travel days before you pack: a session that works in a hotel room, and a short version for the days with no gap at all.
What does ZTraining cost?
Z12 is 12 weeks for £900 in total, with a full refund within 14 days. Z24 is 12 more weeks for £2,100, in one payment or two, only if we both agree it is needed.
Francesco Zen, founder of ZTraining
Last reviewed 10 November 2026. General information, not medical advice: if you have a health condition, or have not exercised for a long time, talk to your GP before you start.
Twenty minutes, with me.
We talk about your week, your health and what you have tried before. If the programme fits you, I will say so. If it does not, I will say that too.