Sleep, though exercise is a very close second (like sleepexercise). Both are essential for health as well as weight loss. Having said that, in most places of the world, very few people set aside time for exercise, it's just part of the day. even in the developed countries. It's only in the places where we have made life so convenient that movement has been removed from our lives that we have to make time for it.
Add some movement to your day. Make life a little less convenient. Park further away at the grocery or the mall or where you work. If your home has a second story or a basement, be a little less organized and go up and down the stairs frequently. When (and if!) you talk on the phone, pace. When you're at the grocery or any big box store, go up and down all the aisles. (Quickly, so you're not tempted to buy what you don't need.) Bring in bags from shopping one at a time.
Several years ago I posted a link to
Great Depression Cooking on YouTube "starring" 93 year old Clara Cannucciari (she's now 97). A year later there was a cookbook published with anecdotes and some pithy quotes from Clara.
Clara wrote:If you don't think you have time to exercise, just clean your kitchen. I think it's kind of silly -- the people jogging. Scrubbing my floors and counters makes everything strong and my kitchen looks good.
I like the old ways, and I always did. Even back then I didn't like change too much. I like scrubbing the floor clean on my hands and knees with a hard-bristled brush. It doesn't get clean any other way.
Walk to the grocery store. Because if you don't have a large car trunk to store things, you'll be forced to buy only what you can comfortably carry, which is most likely all you need.
Always use the stairs. People tell me that I shouldn't be going up and down my stairs at my age, but I need them -- they keep me limber. So what if we wear out our shoes if we keep ourselves fit?
Sweep, vacuum, scrub, dust. Sweep the sidewalk, sweep the garage (they
always need it!), make exaggerated movements when you dust. If you can't walk to get groceries, make more trips bringing them into the house. I wipe down one set of kitchen cabinet doors every day. If you have a dishwasher, put things away one-by-one. Every little bit of movement counts. Get down on your hands and knees and clean baseboards (one of my least favorite jobs).
If and when you watch TV, get up and move during commercials. On average during an hour show, you'd get about 15 minutes of exercise. Or, get up and dust or sweep and so on.
The closest I come to setting aside time for exercise is walking the dog. We go out 2 and sometimes 3 times daily for a minimum of 15 minutes at a time. I also do plies or relevés when I'm doing dishes or brushing my teeth.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
What do you think?
You could also work in activity during commercial breaks. Also, there are a ton of good DVDs out there with short exercise segments, such as the 10 Minute Solution series or Tracey Mallett's Sexy in 6 Quick Blast DVDs.
At the end of the day it's hard to find energy to brush my teeth and fall into bed. And then I was intruduced to the shovelglove. Have you tried this? 14 minutes. start with doing this a couple times a week. I can't get over the workout you get with 14 minutes. I also have started going to bed earlier. If there is bookwork that needs to be finished, dishes that need to be done or whatever it is I just leave it and go to bed. I have so much more energy to take on the day and I have a tad more energy to actually excercise.