One of the most popular questions I get from clients is, "How many times a week should I work out?" Well, the first step is to plan a reasonable goal. If you say, "I'm going to workout everyday", and it doesn't happen, you will get discouraged, and possibly really annoyed with yourself for not doing it. Look at your schedule at the beginning of each week. Set aside time, like any other appointment, to get your workouts in. If you are going to a gym, and want to take a specific class at a specific time, schedule that in, so it's not forgotten, and you can plan for it. You have no time for a workout? A little planning will make time, even if that means getting up a bit earlier, or preparation the day before. I was out early teaching this morning, and knew I had a full day ahead of me, so I prepped a bunch of ingredients last night, put them together in a bag, and this morning when I got up, put them right in the juicer, and had awesome fresh veggie juice for breakfast. Did the same prep for lunch and a healthy snack, put everything right into a bag, and just added a cold pack before running out the door. When you have a bit of free time, cook up a batch of soup, chili, rice, pasta, etc. Portion it out, and freeze it. You'll probably find that many of your favorite recipes freeze well. It's a little time consuming now, but trust me, you'll be thankful when you can just pull something out, reheat it, and voila!...dinner.
Okay, so now we've made time. If you can do some form of cardio: 3-5 days per week for 20-30 minutes, and weight training, a minimum of 2-3 days per week for 20-30 minutes, that would be great. This is a general guideline only, and will change based on the goals you want to accomplish (lose weight, burn fat, gain muscle, etc.). A consultation with a personal trainer will help you determine what is best for your individual needs. The most important thing? Get moving everyday! You deserve to be the best person you can be!