Cara Kempf is a certified personal trainer with the Fitness Zone in Carmel and a group fitness instructor with NIFS in downtown Indianapolis. She can be contacted at fitnessblog@theindychannel.com.

This past week I rediscovered what the word "busy" really means. In the fall, I took a semester off because I had just gotten married and really just wanted to focus on my work. That being said, I was at the gym 24/7 and really got to focus on my workouts in between clients.

Then I started school again on Jan. 10, and all of a sudden I remembered what it was like to have to find time to work out. Now I'm a full-time student with hours of homework a night, and I'm training the same amount of clientele (about 30 hours per week). AND I have a husband to take care of (although he does a great job of helping out, I know he still needs me in lots of ways) and a home to keep clean, and Bible study to attend ... and on and on.

Sound familiar? If you're like most people with such busy schedules, your workouts tend to fall to the bottom of the list. Well, for me, my workouts are my time to myself -- my time to take care of me and no one else. Thinking like this helps me to remember that if I can't take care of myself, how can I take care of my relationships, school, work, and eventually children?

Here are some tips that really help me get everything I need accomplished done in an efficient manner and STILL make time for my health:

Plan ahead for your workouts/meals. Every day I have a minute-by-minute schedule mapped out in my brain so that I know when my scheduled workout time falls. No matter how tired I may be, this helps me stick to the plan. Also, my husband and I both pack our breakfast/lunch/dinner the night before so that we don't have to eat out every day, which is unhealthy and costly.

Get enough sleep. No matter how busy I am, I ALWAYS make sure that I get seven to eight hours of sleep. You will be able to complete your tasks for the day if you get plenty of rest.

Sit down and make a list of your priorities and then re-prioritize. Figure out if you are giving yourself enough time to take care of you. Again, how you can take care of others if you aren't taking care of yourself spiritually, emotionally, and physically? Check those priorities and stay motivated!