How to Juggle Workouts and Your Career
Balancing a growing career and trying to get - or stay - in shape can feel like a juggling act. Yes, your driven. Yes, you want both. YES, you're trying. Yet, it’s not translating into the body, energy, or confidence you want.
You don’t need more influencer noise. You need a professional system that respects your schedule, leverages your strengths, and moves the needle—consistently.
This is your playbook to fit fitness seamlessly into a demanding, growth-focused life, without giving up your career-path, or chasing unsustainable extremes.
The mindset shift that changes everything
From all-or-nothing to always-something: progress favors consistency, not perfection.
➡️Replace “perfect or nothing” with a clear and effective Minimum Effective Week plan(see below).
➡️Trade intensity for intention. Early morning HIIT workouts and long runs for the sake of running have a place, but strength and structure deliver the physique, biomarker improvements, and high-quality longevity you want.
➡️Think seasons, not streaks. Just like in business, timing is powerful. Set yourself up for success by setting your expectations - and programming - according to what's realistic. Busy launch week = MEW. Slow season = dig in and go hard. #pivotwithaplan.
Why it’s important to get (and stay) in shape as a busy professional
Think of getting - and staying - in shape as your edge. Fitness, done well, is the performance enhancer that supports your career, your confidence, and your long-term health simply by existing.
Here’s why it matters, especially when it's important that you stay on your A-game:
Sharper thinking and better decisions:
Regular training improves blood flow to the brain and stimulates the growth of new brain cells. The result: improved executive function and focus. You’ll think clearer in high-stakes meetings, switch tasks faster, and avoid decision fatigue.
Stress resilience on demand:
Exercise is a controlled physical stressor. Regularly strength training and doing zone 1-2 cardio trains your nervous system to handle random and acute pressures, later. You’ll feel calmer under deadlines, recover faster from stress spikes, and sleep deeper (your built-in stress buffer). Regular physical activity also builds self-efficacy, or your belief in your ability to cope with challenges.
Consistent energy, not caffeine swings:
Regular exercise promotes consistent energy by improving cardiovascular health, boosting circulation, and enhancing the body's natural energy-producing systems - unlike caffeine which provides a temporary spike followed by irritability and an inevitable crash (speaking from experience).
In addition, muscle mass improves insulin sensitivity and stabilizes blood sugar. Translation: fewer 3 p.m. crashes, steadier energy on long days, and better appetite control on lock.
Body composition that matches your ambitions:
Strength training builds lean muscle mass, the “metabolic engine” that makes it easier to stay leaner, stronger, and ache-free. Body composition is not just about aesthetics, though. Maintaining a healthy body composition might be the key to mitigating chronic disease and living a longer, high quality live.
Leadership presence and confidence:
When you feel strong in your body, you show up differently—at the gym, on camera, and in the boardroom. Of course reaching your fitness goals can promote self-confidence and motivation. But after years of coaching I've found that you don't have to wait - simply committing to the journey and proving to yourself that you can do it builds massive confidence.
The Minimum Effective Week (MEW)
In medicine, the term Minimum Effective Dose (MED) the smallest amount of a substance or action that produces a meaningful effect. In fitness, the term Minimum Effective Week (MEW) refers to minimum effective week: the smallest, repeatable set of actions that keep you progressing even during your busiest weeks.
This approach prioritizes effectiveness and efficiency over volume, aiming to maximize results while minimizing time, fatigue, and overtraining. Yes, you should have a fully optimized program that goes beyond MEW. But when life goes awry - work runs late, a deadline is approaching, work travel pops up - this is your Plan B.
Hit these on the busiest and most stressful days and you’re still winning.
*Side note: your MEW is different than my MEW is different than your colleagues MEW. These are suggestions that make sense for most of my busiest clients. Adjust to fit your specific needs.
1. Strength Train
The goal: 2-3 workouts x 20-30 minutes.
The workout: full body sessions, prioritizing compound lifts and high-quality input.
The why: even a minimal amount of strength training sends a signal to your body to - if not build lean muscle - at least preserve it.
2. NEPA (non-exercise physical activity)
The goal: 7-10k steps most days.
The how: book walk-and-talk meetings, take the last 10 minutes of your lunch break as an excuse to get outside, invest in a walking pad or stand up desk.
The why: is a quiet metabolism booster and stress regulator. This is not a long run or sprint session. While both have benefits, on your busiest and most stressful days you want to commit to something that decreases stress, not adds to hit.
3. Protein
The goal: 1 palm-sized portion at breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The how: keep it simple! This is not the time for Pinterest-worthy meal prep. Think tuna salad, rotisserie chicken, hard boiled eggs, single serving cups of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese and when necessary, a good old protein shake.
The why: protein supports recovery, metabolic health, satiety, and stable energy. This is especially important if you are susceptible to stress/emotional eating.
4. Hydrate
The goal: 8-10 cups of water (seltzer, non-caffeinated teas).
The how: start your day with 2-3 cups of lemon water. Before opening your laptop, before checking your phone, before caffeine. Keep a water bottle with you (and full) at all times! Aim to reach 75% of your goal by mid-day so that you're not inclined to chug before bed.
The why: studies show that even a 2% body water deficit can lead to reduced concentration, increased reaction times, and negative mood changes. On the flip side, staying hydrated improves performance, attention span and memory.
5. Sleep
The goal: 7-9 hours most nights.
The how: use the 3-2-1 method: no food 3 hours before bed, no drink 2 hours before bed, no blue light 1 hour before bed. Set an alarm to remind you. Keep your room cool, dark and quite.
The why: lack of sleep is strongly linked to decreased mental performance and poorer mental health, with inadequate sleep increasing the odds of frequent mental distress by nearly threefold. And the deficit adds up. While you might be inclined to burn the candle at both ends, don't.
Structuring your week
Your weekly schedule will depend on your unique fitness level, schedule and personal needs, but this is a great place to start:
Plan your week in 10-minute on Sunday
Use this tiered framework to set your goals based on the week:
Green week (normal capacity): 3-4 strength sessions, 2–3 short conditioning or mobility slots, 8–10k steps daily.
Yellow week (tight schedule/travel): 2-3 strength sessions, 1 mobility workout, 7–9k steps.
Red week (crunch time): 2 express lifts or 2 micro-workouts, 6–8k steps, protein + sleep nonnegotiable.
Time block it
Put these in your calendar like meetings. No open-loop “I’ll fit it in.” Book it, or it won’t happen.
Apply the same kind of structure and commitment of your professional life to your personal well-being, especially when it's not an ideal week.
Create "micro workouts"
Think of these as mini sessions that you can do between calls, after lunch or when you get home. Keep them so short that it's laughable to say "I can't fit it in".
Examples:
10-minute AMRAP: 10 goblet squats, 10 elevated push-ups, 10 rows.
Mobility reset: 90/90 hips, thoracic rotations, calf stretch, 2–3 minutes of diaphragmatic breathing.
10-minute pick up: spend 10 minutes picking up around the house, vacuuming and taking as many stairs as possible.
Common challenges - and solutions - for busy professionals
Travel toolkit
Pack what you can: mini-bands, jump rope, or at the very least your workout gear.
Hotel scan: does it have a gym? What time does it open? Is it a safe area to go for a walk?
Food anchors:
Prioritize eating protein first at each meal.
Plate method: fill your plate with 1/2 veggies, 1/4 protein, 1/4 smart carbs, and a thumb of fats.
Hydration: pack your water bottle.
Jet lag protocol: morning daylight + walk, first workout is a walk or a mobility session, earlier dinner, no alcohol.
No time to cook
Use the grocery store: salad bars and deli counters at high-quality grocery stores can build any meal, grab single serving yogurts and cottage cheeses, and shelf-stable snacks like beef jerky and roasted chickpeas
Order out: lok for grilled meats, steamed vegetables, salads, and bowls, with a focus on lean protein and whole grains.
Big batch cook ahead of time: nothing tastes as good as the chili you made 2 weeks ago eaten on the busiest day of the week.
Motivation
Commit to just 5-minutes. Once you've put on your gear on gotten started, you'll find it's easier to finish it.
Reward for hitting your MEW. Book a pedicure, order a new book or take your bestie out for lunch next weekend.
Count the streaks for your non-negotiable anchors (sleep, steps, protein), not just your workouts.
Set yourself up for success: keep your shoes by the desk, pack your gym bag the night before, book workouts like client meetings.
Ignore any metric that feels "ick" and focus instead on consistency.
Conclusion...
Finding a way to balance a thriving career and your fitness goals is about working smarter, not harder. You don’t need more hours in the day. You need a plan that meets you where you are and scales with your life.
If you want a fully tailored blueprint—training built around travel and work schedules, nutrition that fits your calendar (and your palate), simple data that proves progress, and real-time accountability—I’d love to coach you.
