It seems as though we’re all running on one speed these days: fast. We know that we should exercise regularly, but who has time? Between sports, business meetings and housework, how do you squeeze in fitness? With a little smart planning, it is possible.
If the pace of your life and intensity of your schedule makes it difficult to include exercise, check out these easy ways to squeeze it in, and have fun in the process!
Wake up early
There’s a reason why this one is first on the list – let’s get the less popular one out of the way early on. All things considered, sometimes the only way to make time for exercise is to wake up and start earlier. To help your body get used to it, start with just waking up 15 or 20 minutes earlier, then get up even earlier depending on how much time you need. It may be tough to do at first, but soon you’ll be in a fitness regime that you can carry with you no matter what schedule you may keep throughout the day.
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Walk at lunch
Whether you work 9 to 5 or the graveyard shift, try squeezing in a lunchtime workout at a nearby fitness club or just by putting on your sneakers and walking. You can also sneak in 10 minute exercise breaks throughout the day to give your body and brain a rest from sitting at a computer all day. Amber from Phoenix has a pretty stringent fitness routine but reminds us that you can feasibly walk two miles in 30 minutes and she’s already lost over 100 pounds. Go Amber!
Chore cha-cha
Lunge, stir, lunge and stir. Knees, knees, knees! Put on your workout clothes and cook up some fun while you prepare dinner. Turn up the tunes and dance as you mop, vacuum, dust and disinfect. The average person spends about 6 hours per week doing household tasks. Think of how active you can be during that time! Who knows, it may even make the chores a little more fun.
Commercial breaks
Most network programming subjects you to a series of 30 second commercials during the show’s breaks, and most include at least four in the sequence. Hop up off the couch and do some jumping jacks! You can burn 10 calories by doing jumping jacks for 30 seconds – which means you can theoretically burn 40 calories during your show’s commercial breaks.
Weekend warrior
If you just can’t seem to get it together enough for weekday exercise, focus on the weekends when you have more flexibility and time. Block off a bigger chunk of time to make up for your lack of exercise during the week. Be careful not to overdo it by going too hard at once, but break it up into medium intensity workouts that your body can handle.
Exercise is an investment in your health, not just about looking good or living an extra ten years. Shift into low gear and don’t let your schedule keep you from your investment.
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