Opinion: A One-Hour Workout is 4% of MY day? Please.

Alright, this isn't going to float everyone's boat but I've got an issue with people who believe this:

Just throwing it out there, but I reckon this was originally penned by a bloke.

I saw that quote on a day where I was particularly busy running from place to place and I was trying to figure out how I was going to squeeze in some sweat time. And seeing that quote pissed me off because it a) made me think I had to do a one-hour workout, and b) made me want to go Myth Busting because for me, I wish a one-hour workout was 4% of my day.

You see, if I'm going to do a one-hour workout, it takes me a combined saaaay 15 minutes to get my gym stuff together (ie, pull my hair back, get dressed, sort out my protein shaker, find my keys) and get to the gym. And I'm fortunate my gym is a 3-minute drive away. Let's assume the average person lives at least 5 minutes from their gym. So we're looking at about 20 minutes before I've even started a warm-up. All very well if I'm at home, but it's still going to take me 5 minutes or so to get dressed, clear my space and figure out what workout I'm going to do.

So then I do the 1-hour workout, which would need to include the warm-up and cool-down, right? And if I'm doing it right, I should be a sweaty hot mess by the end of it. Which means after my 5-minute drive home from the gym (after the couple of minutes I took to come back from the brink of death/catch my breath/drink my protein shake), I'll need to shower. This is where the "a bloke wrote this" comes into play. See, dry shampoo is an amazing invention and for blondes, it can cover the greasy evidence of not washing your hair for a couple of days, especially if I can just chuck my hair in a ponytail (and, admittedly, the next paragraph is redundant, besides the make-up). By day 3, not even dry shampoo can save me.

So in the shower, I've got to wash my hair. Then when I get out of the shower, I've got to dry my hair. Forgive me, male readers, but I just don't think you appreciate how long this actually takes. I can get my make-up on in 5 minutes for an everyday look. But hair? Towel dry, heat protect, blow dry, style. For someone with thick or medium- to long-length hair, that can take anywhere from 10 minutes to half an hour. And don't you tell me to just put it into a ponytail. If I'm meant to be working out every day, I am not going to be wearing a ponytail every day. Girl's gotta have her style variation, got it? Plus, you have no idea how difficult it is for someone with such a round face to pull off a ponytail hahaha.

So by the time I'm actually clean and presentable, it's been another 45 minutes or so since I finished working out. That's roughly 2 hours from the time I decide I'm going to work out to when I'm actually able to carry on with my day. Which is 8% of my day. And I'm not even including post-workout Instagram selfies in that (I joke...sort of).

A one hour workout is not 4% of my day, because of all the additional stuff that comes with working out that - not surprisingly - takes time.

Now, I'm not suggesting that "not having time to work out" is a valid excuse to ditch it altogether. And I firmly believe that doing something - anything - is always better than doing nothing even if you think you have zero time. I just think that it'd be more relevant to me if it said..."A 20-minute workout is 4% of your day. No excuses". See, to me, I can then think "Yeah, that's right, sweating my tits off for 20 minutes is completely reasonable and I can fit that in".

Because that 20-minute workout will actually take an hour, and an hour total out of my day can always be found.

I'm wondering if you've been given any fitness, nutrition or life advice or motivation that just wasn't applicable to you. Let me know!

P.S. This post makes me sound precious, but I'm just venting how this particular popular piece of motivation just isn't applicable to the life I lead day-to-day. Some days, I take my sweet-ass time in the gym, because I know after my shower I can stick my hair in a bun on the top of my head, put some trackies on and get behind my desk at home without spending time looking presentable.

P.P.S. 20-minute workouts = Fierce HIIT. No lazy single-paced treadmill jogs.