We all know that exercise is important – vital, in fact. Yet, one of the most common excuses for not exercising enough is “I can't find time for exercise.”

我们都知道运动很重要——其实是非常重要。可是，最常见的不运动的一大借口就是“我抽不出时间做运动”。

And it's true. It is hard to find time for exercise. Just like it's hard to find time to meditate¹, cook healthy meals, and volunteer to make your community a better place.

而事实也的确如此。人们很难挤出时间做运动，就像我们挤不出时间去冥想、烹饪健康食物、做社区志愿者一样。

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the American Heart Association (AHA) provides the following minimum exercise guidelines for healthy adults (18-65):

美国运动医学学院（ACSM）和美国心脏协会（AHA）为成年人（18-65岁）的健康制定了以下最少的运动指南：

Moderate-intensity aerobic² physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes, five days per week (e.g. a brisk walk) or;

每周五天、每天至少30分钟的中等强度有氧运动（例如快走）；

Vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity for 20 minutes, three days per week (e.g. jogging) or;

每周三天、每天20分钟的高强度有氧运动（例如慢跑）；

Some combination of moderate-intensity and vigorous-intensity.

中等强度运动和高强度运动相结合。

NOTE: Exercise can be performed in bouts³ of at least 10 minutes.

注意：运动至少应持续10分钟。

That's not bad. In fact, it's pretty achievable. So let's move on to the challenging (but fun) part: Finding time for exercise.

这真的不错，甚至还很有可行性。下面看看具有挑战性（但很有趣）的部分吧：挤出时间去运动

1.Turn off the TV

1.关掉电视

This is usually a good place to start. In 2011, the average American watched 34 hours of TV per week. If you do the math, you could still watch 30 hours of TV and get all your exercise in (including a shower afterwards, which is typically appreciated by your colleagues/family members).

关掉电视通常就是一个好的开始。2011年美国人平均每周看34小时电视。如果你计算一下就会发现，就算把运动后冲澡的时间算在内（通常是同事或是家人的要求），你也还可以看30小时的电视。

And if you've already whittled⁴ your TV watching down to just one or two favorite shows per week, consider exercising while you watch.

如果你已经将看电视的时间减少到每周只看一两集喜欢的节目的话，可以考虑边看电视边运动。

2.Limit Your Time Online

2.限制上网时间

If we're not watching TV, we're surfing the Internet, checking email, updating Facebook, tweeting, or pinning. According to comScore, the average American spent 32 hours per month online in 2011 (sounds low to me!).

如果我们没有看电视，就是在上网、查收邮件、刷新Facebook，发微博或刷网页。据comScore网站统计，2011年美国人每月平均上网32小时。（我觉得听上去好少啊！）

That's over 60 minutes per day, some of which could be devoted⁵ to moving your body rather than letting it waste away in front of a screen.

也就是说，美国人每天花60分钟以上的时间上网。其实与其将时间浪费在电脑屏幕前，还不如去运动呢。

Becoming more efficient with your online dealings is a great way to cut down on the time spent online. It's not about the technology. It's about improper⁶ use of the technology. You will be amazed by the amount of time you will save if you check your email only once or twice per day.

提高上网效率可以有效减少上网时间。问题不在于科技本身，而在于对科技的不当使用上。如果你每天只查收一两次邮件，你会讶然发现大把时间被节省了下来。

3.Ask for Help

3.寻求帮助

I don't want to assume that you are a couch potato or an Internet addict⁷. Perhaps you simply have your hands full with work, laundry, kids, community commitments, and all the other things that make up our plate of life.

我无法断定你是否是电视迷或网虫，或许你只是工作太忙，洗衣服、带小孩、小区义工或其他事情占据了生活的全部。

If you are serious about finding time for exercise, ask for help. Maybe you just need somebody to watch the kids for an hour while you hit the gym. Ask your spouse⁸, your mom, your friend, the teenager next door – anybody who can help you find that time. Also, if you have the money, hire somebody to clean your house. That frees up significant time.

如果你真想挤点时间做运动，那就寻求帮助吧。或许你只是需要有人在你去健身馆的那一小时帮忙照看一下孩子。你可以向任何能够帮你腾出时间的人寻求帮助——爱人、老妈、朋友或隔壁的少年。而且如果你手头宽裕，可以请人打扫房间，这样可以帮你省出不少时间。

4.Find Pockets of Time for Exercise

4.利用零碎时间运动

If your eyes didn't completely gloss⁹ over when you read the ACSM/AHA recommendations above, you may have noticed that you can exercise in “bouts of at least 10 minutes.”

如果你仔细阅读了上面ACSM/AHA的建议，你应该注意到“至少应持续10分钟”这句话吧。

This means that you could go for a brisk 10-minute walk after breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not only will you feel refreshed, but it also helps with digestion¹⁰!

也就是说如果在早中晚餐后快走10分钟，你不仅会感到神清气爽，还有助于消化呢！

I often find myself with 10 minutes to spare, so I have a mental list of things that can be completed in that amount of time. If you have your own 10-minute activity list, just add exercise to it.

我就经常发现自己可以抽出10分钟的时间，我心里有一个清单，10分钟可以干很多事儿。如果你也有“10分钟活动清单”，何不将运动也添进去呢？

5.Combine Exercise and Transportation¹¹

5.运动与交通相结合

In many parts of the world, this is an obvious one. However, sometimes it's easy to forget that getting from Point A to Point B can be a wonderful opportunity to exercise. Here are some options:

对世界上许多地方而言，这一点显而易见。只是人们很容易忘记从一个地方到另一个地方也是绝好的运动机会。请看以下几个建议：

Bike or walk to work/school

骑车或步行去工作/上学

Bike to the grocery store

骑车去杂货店

Walk over to a friend's house

步行去朋友家

Walk or bike to the coffee shop

步行或骑车去咖啡店

As long as it's at least 10 minutes and getting your heart rate up, it's exercise!

只要能花10分钟让心跳加速起来，也算是运动哦！