One of the most commonly used excuses for not exercising is the classic "I am too busy" response.

Trust me. I have used it myself.

In college the excuse is usually "I have too much homework" or "I have way too many extracurriculars." Then, after college, we transition into our careers and the excuse is "I am working too late" or "I have too many responsibilities at home." And, that makes perfect sense.

But, I have a proposal. What if actually taking the time for exercising gave you more time? That is absolutely crazy. I understand. How is it possible to make more time for yourself if you are taking an extra hour or two out of your day to exercise?

It is simple.

Exercising increases productivity.

In my first semester of college, I would frequently skip running club practices because I was taking 18 credits and I had way too much work to take an entire hour out of my day to run. Yet, I was becoming more and more unhappy that I was not in shape and I was longing to get outside to run again.

I found that I was having a lot of trouble focusing. It took me twice as long to do homework. I was becoming frustrated with myself because it became harder for me to produce quality work to meet my deadlines.

Since I was incredibly stressed out, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I started making my running club practices mandatory for myself even though it was optional to attend every practice. In a short amount of time, I realized that when I came back from running club, my mind would be racing just as fast as my legs were running. As I took my shower at the end of the day, I was thinking about all the things I could get done. I was getting my homework done faster.

It was easier to focus. I was able to get to sleep sooner and even manage some free time for myself. I was ecstatic. When I thought about it, I realized that I had so much trouble focusing and completing my homework because I had not been exercising.

I was so used to a busy lifestyle in high school where I would go from school, to cross country practice and then finish my days with marching band practice. I was moving around all the time and I knew I did not have time to waste on homework. I was incredibly focused when I did have time to work on homework, so I could spend more time on my extracurriculars. Because of this, I was always ahead on homework even though I was incredibly busy.

I remember, however, that I had difficulty staying focused on the off months between cross country and track seasons. Even though I had hours of free time that I had not had before, I was unable to get my work done. I just could not focus. I was wasting that extra time because my mind was so used to not having it in the first place.

I was more productive when I was busier and exercising more often than I was in my offseasons.

So, this year, I continue to make exercising mandatory. I get more homework done. I stay on top of things because I am busy. I am not behind because I am busy – I am more efficient with the time I do have.

Now, when someone says they are too busy to make it to running club or that they have too much homework to exercise, I cannot help but recommend that they exercise anyways.

I know there are times when it really is impossible. Sometimes there is a big project due the next day or an incredibly late night at work. That is understandable. But, most of the time, exercising can make us more productive.

We should pass up the things that make us happy just because we are busy. Exercising is healthy for you and it is definitely important to make us happier and increasing our overall well-being. Next time you say to yourself I am way too busy, ask yourself if exercising could actually make you more productive.