Without a shadow of a doubt, the top reason people invariably give for not starting a running or walking program is lack of time. In this insanely busy world, it’s tough enough finding the time to accomplish everything you need to do in a day without having to carve out another block of free time to exercise.

Your job demands time. So does your family. You need to sleep and eat. Time? Who has extra time?

The answer is nobody does. But, exercise should be also assigned a high priority if you want to live a fruitful, healthy, happy life. Running or walking on a daily basis will give you more energy and a fitter, happier you will be beneficial to everyone around you.

But finding the time to start to run or walk is always going to be a challenge. Suffice it to say, it can be done if you want to badly enough. If you don’t, you won’t. It’s as simple as that.

Plenty of high-powered executives and national leaders know that starting the day with a good run or walk is an important component of their lives. President George W. Bush has completed a marathon and numerous other races when he was the Governor of Texas and lived in Austin. His father ran and now walks on a daily basis. So did President Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter.

Governor Rick Perry is one of the fittest 58-year-olds around and has completed two marathons and countless other races and triathlons. Austin Mayor Will Wynn practices what he preaches too and has finished the Austin Marathon and other races.

The point is, if these people with their high-stress lives and packed calendars can find the time to run or walk, you can too.

But you must make running or walking one of the most important things you do every day. If you can that make type of commitment, you will find the time.

Here are some tips to finding the time:

1. Plan ahead. By scheduling a week’s worth of workouts in advance and penciling them into your Day Timers or your PDF, you are more likely to follow through on your plan.
2. Give up a half hour of television. You’d be amazed how much time you waste in a given day. Watching television is a good way to unwind, but by just giving up 30 minutes, you have enough time to get in a good walk or run. If you walk or run on a treadmill, there’s probably a TV so you don’t have to miss any of your favorite shows. 
3. Go early. The busiest people all walk or run before their workday begins. It’s a great way to start the day and that way, the run is done and out of the way. No unforseen meetings can force you to cancel.
4. Walk to work. Most of us can’t walk or run the entire distance to work or school, but we can walk or run part of the way from the bus. Or park farther away than normal and walk the rest of the way. 
5. Run or walk during lunch. An hour lunchbreak is plenty of time to get a walk or run in and still have a few minutes to shower and eat. Ask your co-workers to go with you. It’s an ideal way to break up the day and get a fresh perspective for the afternoon.
6. Keep your running or walking gear handy. Sometimes an unexpected hole crops up on your schedule and you find yourself with a spare hour you hadn’t counted on. If your running or walking shoes are nearby, you can always sneak in a run or walk. 
7. Conduct meetings outside while on a walk. Sure, why not? The fresh air and exercise will clear everyone’s head and make them more creative and expansive. Make sure you walk at a pace which is comfortable for everyone.
8. Be flexible. If your schedule calls for a half hour walk or run but you only have 20 minutes, use the 20 minutes wisely. Twenty minutes of walking or running is better than zero minutes.