The fitness industry is a booming area of growth in the UK, with its total market value set to exceed £5billion, and the total number of memberships to fitness facilities reaching 10.4million in 2019, around a 1/5 of the adult population.

Looking after your health and making time for yourself does however require a lot of prior planning, with healthy meal prep, travelling and working out making fitness quite the time investment as part of our already busy lives. It was therefore not a surprise to read research out this year by UK snack brand Fridge Raiders, who found that although just over a 5^th of us have gym memberships (23%), only 12% of us go often.

Looking after yourself is of great importance, as not only will keeping fit and eating well mean you live longer, but there are endless studies that support the idea that keeping active and having good nutrition can help with a range of other problems people face in their working lives, including depression, fatigue, boredom and a lack of creativity.

Balancing a 9-5 job and evening and weekend commitments means your health and fitness often fall by the wayside, but there are ways in which you can manage them all. See below our advice for how to ensure you keep on top of your work, social events as well as your workouts and nutrition.

Work out before work

The last thing people often want to do after a full day at work is go to a packed gym or go for a run when they get home. Our advice is therefore to get your workout done before you go to work, as not only are gyms and parks quieter at these times, but it will also mean you can enjoy your evening without the guilt of having missed another workout. It’s also a great way to wake yourself up and get the blood flowing before sitting at a desk for 8+ hours.

Prepare your meals in advance

We are a nation of convenience and fast food seldom means healthy food, so by preparing your meals in advance, you are not only likely to save yourself money but will also be less inclined to pop out for a meal deal at lunch time or get a takeaway on your way home. It’s also a much easier way of tracking what you’re eating as you know what you’re putting in the food you make, and it’s one less thing to think about during the week.

Don’t treat your work as a health hurdle

Instead of seeing your job as an excuse for your unhealthy habits or a reason not to exercise, see the many opportunities it presents. If you live close, why not cycle, run or walk to and from work, it’s time everyday that you have to yourself so why not use it to get fit, and as you’ll be travelling the same distance you can set challenges and see how much you improve over time.

It is also important to note that many companies are in support of this, being members to various schemes such as cycle to work or fruit clubs, with some companies even installing showers to encourage this. Many are also realising the desire for their employees to be healthier and how difficult finding the time is, with many running activities such as after work yoga (which we do here at Purplefish) or summer games such as lunch time rounders for example.