What's the No. 1 excuse for not working out? Lack of time. Sure, we're all busy handling multiple priorities and rushing around from here and there every day. However, I promise that no matter how busy you are, someone even busier than you are is working out right now. If you look closer, you'll discover that you do have the time to work out—and you deserve to use that time for yourself.

Squeezing in just a few minutes of physical exercise a day has huge benefits on your health, gives you energy and perks up your mood. In fact, a new study published by The Lancet found that if inactive people increased their physical activity by just 15 minutes per day, they could reduce their risk of premature death by 14% and increase their life expectancy by three years. Also, remember that "working out" doesn't have to happen in the gym or last for an hour! Short 10-minute bursts of exercise, accumulated over the course of the day, can add up to big fitness and health gains, too.

Still not convinced that you have the time to exercise? Here's how to start fitting fitness into your busy life today!

10 Practical Tips to Fit Fitness into Your Busy Life

Read more: 10 Ways to Find Time for Exercise

Almost every time we turn on the television or glance at a magazine cover in the supermarket checkout line, we are bombarded with the new weight-loss rules and diet plans. We're constantly given suggestions to drink a special shake, cut out carbs, or choke down tasteless food combinations, but we as a nation aren't losing weight—we're getting heavier. What are you to believe when fad diets and false claims are flying at you from every direction? It's no wonder we're so confused about what to eat and how to manage our weight.

We've all been exposed to various "diet rules" over the years and, accurate or not, many of us still live by them. It's time to debunk six of these outdated and unhelpful rules once and for all and give you some NEW guidelines that will actually help you reach your goals!

Old rule: Don't eat after 7 p.m.

So what makes 7 (or 8 or 9) p.m. a magical cutoff time anyway? The original idea was that people should stop eating about 3 hours before bed, using 10 p.m. as an average bedtime. Although it is a good idea to stop eating a few hours before bed, the reasoning has nothing to do with weight gain; it's basically an issue of digestion and personal comfort. Going to sleep on a full stomach may make sleeping uncomfortable, as the body is simultaneously shutting down to rest while still exerting energy to digest the food. This may lead to fitful sleep as well as gas and indigestion—but not weight gain. Your body is smart, but it doesn't know what time it is when you eat. It will metabolize calories eaten after 7 p.m. the same way as it does the calories you eat earlier in the day. They will NOT automatically be stored as fat.

Read more: 6 Diet Rules Meant to be Broken

In life, we're told to dream big. Reach for the stars. Go for the gold. While I think everyone would agree that having big aspirations is admirable not to mention inspiring, you should take a more calculated approach when setting fitness goals. It may seem counterintuitive to start small, but remember that you want to set yourself up for success not burnout or injury.

Think about it. How many times have you or someone you know set a huge goal to lose 50 or more pounds, or exercise for an hour six days a week, only to fall off the wagon a few weeks (or days) later? The truth is that even when people have the best of intentions and the willpower to set out and do something grand, without a plan and a smart goal, they stumble—and are more likely to fail.

When you first set a goal, you're full of energy and completely motivated, but over time those feelings can wane and your overzealousness can push you to do too much too soon. The fix is to define a progressive set of fitness goals that build on one another to help propel you toward that big dream or aspiration. Breaking a big goal into smaller, realistic goals can help you both mentally and physically. This method can also help you improve your fitness level gradually and safely, which helps to build confidence.

The first step to setting realistic goals is to really think about your goal and write it down.

Then, ask yourself these three questions: smaller goalwithin your reach

1. How big is the goal? Is your goal only attainable in three months or more? If so, make a or goals to get you to that long-term goal. Ideally, you should be able to reach the smaller goal in two to six weeks.

Read more: Are Your Fitness Goals Realistic?

The answer to' how much' and 'for whom' lies in: What is your perception and plan for successful aging?

Having a 'purpose in life'? A reason to get up in the morning? Being fully engaged in the six dimensions of wellness, the physical, spiritual, emotional, intellectual, social and vocational aspects of life? Remaining independent for as long as possible? Dodging disability? Postponing dependence?

As a seasoned exercise professional, my responsibility is to assist people in determining their needs and starting point based on their medical history, musculo-skeletal status and current physical challenges.

But more importantly, I get them on track towards their WANTS ..... what they want to be able to DO now, and over the next year, and in their 50's, 60's, .... 100's.

How much time, energy, and effort do they have or want to spend in order to get there?

What are they physically doing NOW? on a typical day?

Listed below are 4 Tiers of training. Start with Tier I and work your way up as far as you want and can!!

Tier I: The Bare DAILY Minimum

Head off 'Mobility Disability', the deterioration of all systems in the body from lack of movement. The effects of sedentary aging are very similar to bed rest. The deconditioning effect just takes longer.

• Practice good posture throughout the day in all static and dynamic positions [abdominals 'on', shoulder blades down and back, chin slightly in]. Posture directly affects breathing and gait.

• Sit as little as possible! If chained to a desk, get up every 20 minutes. Fight forward head, rounded shoulders and a flexed low back. Reach overhead and regularly arch up and over.

• Accumulate 30 minutes of exercise on all or most days of the week; use the stairs up and down.

• Stay limber and strong. Reach, bend, lunge, lean, squat [chair stands], push, pull, rotate, lift and carry as part of your day. Preserve total body

Read more: EXERCISE and Physical Activity …. How Much? For Whom?