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Turn off your phone during exercise.

With a busy schedule, it’s easy to get sidetracked and lose focus while at the gym. Read on to learn about my effective workout techniques to feel more refreshed after each gym session.

Life can be busy and full of distractions that are sometimes unavoidable. Some distractions, however, are ones that we personally create. There’s a very good chance that if you spend a lot of time multitasking, you’re not getting the best out of your mind or your body. You may have mastered the art of doing several things at once, but it’s impossible to give multiple tasks a 100% focused effort. Though you may be checking many things off your to-do list each day, you could actually be accomplishing very little.

As a busy working mother, I have to admit that multitasking is a very necessary skill. Being distracted is simply part of the ‘working parent’ job description. Multitasking gives you the satisfying feeling that you’re doing a great job and being efficient, but constantly juggling the mental and physical demands of daily life can sometimes result in wasted time at the gym.

I want to help you to find a way to have an effective workout without distractions, so you can get more out of your body and make every second of your fitness routine count. Let your workout time be a personal timeout. Be present and in the moment so that you get a mental and physical boost.

Here are some ways to get the most out of your fitness routine. If you maximize your gym time, you will maximize your efforts—leading to better results!

Effective workout tip 1: No Phone

Put your phone in a locker or leave it in your car. Being detached from your mobile device for 30-60 minutes may seem like torture, but it will help you stay focused on your workout. We like to assume that life will come to a halt if we’re not available 24/7. Speaking from experience, if an urgent matter arises while you’re exercising, it will still be urgent when you are done. If your phone is your music device, simply put it on airplane mode during your gym session so you’re not tempted to take a call or check your email. If you’re truly uncomfortable being unreachable, share your location or the gym phone number with important family members or co-workers. Should a true emergency arise, they’ll know where to find you.

Effective workout tip 2: No Fiddling

Stop fiddling with your playlist looking for the perfect song. The number of times I’ve found myself stopping on a run because I didn’t like the song that was playing is countless. Every time you get sidetracked, your intensity level drops and so does your heart rate. You may not be getting the most out of your workout if you’re constantly looking for the perfect song to work out to. Try to dedicate some time before your workout to pre-select your song playlist. A planned music track list can help to boost your energy level and intensity level. The less time you spend stopping, the more time you’ll spend exercising. A little bit of planning may help you to burn more calories during your workout.

Effective workout tip 3: Find good clothing

Always wear clothing that fits you well and makes you feel good. Loose straps, pants that rub in the wrong place, or shoes that don’t fit well are all common causes of people slacking off in the gym. Poor fitting clothing can also pose as a safety risk, especially if it makes you alter your form while performing an exercise. Clothing that’s too tight will restrict movements, and clothing that’s too loose poses a safety hazard around certain machines. You want to feel comfortable and feel good so that your mental focus is on your exercise routine, and not on feeling self-conscious over your outfit.

Effective workout tip 4: Limit the chatting

Exercise time is a great time to bond with friends, make new friends and catch up on a little gossip—as long as you don’t let your idle chatter get in the way of your fitness routine. Save the chatting for your rest times or for when your training session is over. You don’t have to be rude to a friend; just tell them to ‘Hold that thought while I finish my set,’ and encourage them to do the same.

Effective workout tip 5: Wear a watch that beeps

Many people start watching the clock as they begin to feel tired during a workout. Clock watching may not sound like a distraction, but looking down at your watch too often can negatively affect your exercise form and prevent you from exerting full-out effort. If you set a watch that beeps at the correct interval, it will help you to get the most out of your session. A noisy watch will also help you to stay honest with your rest times, and it’s a great way to politely get yourself away from that overly chatty friend.

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I understand that it’s very easy to become distracted at work, at home and especially during your workout. I believe that if you make an effort to spend your workout time focused on your form, technique, and breathing, you’ll get the most out of your gym session. You’ll feel better, get better overall results and become a more efficient calorie-burning machine.