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Fitness
Fitting In Fitness-No Matter How Busy Your Day
A+ A-What is the number one excuse for not exercising? You guessed it. Lack of time. Every time I give a presentation and I ask this question, the members of the audience get it right. Why? Because most of them have used this excuse more than once in their lives. My guess is that you have too.
Finding the time is really much easier than you think. As a matter of
fact - it is extremely easy if you change your mindset - just a little.
Exercise is just movement - moving your body through space. Moving burns
calories. The more you move, the more calories you burn. So, if the thought
of fitting exercise into your day just seems impossible in light of all
else that consumes your time - try some of the examples below. Before
you know it, you will be moving and loving it.
At Home
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• Make extra trips with laundry.
• Cleaning – lunges while vacuuming, squats while doing dishes, extra long reaches when cleaning tub, floor etc.
• Picking up and putting away – make a trip every time you have something to put away on another level of the house instead of letting it accumulate.
• Watching TV – do sit-ups, push-ups, squats, lunges. Get up and walk during commercials. Actually get up and change station instead of using remote! (sorry guys).
• On the phone – walk around the house.
• Walk the dog.
• Going to the mail box – walk around the block first.
• Walk with neighbors, husband, kids.
• Do step ups and calf raises on steps.
• Put on some music and DANCE!! – put on music to do anything and you will move much faster and have more fun!
• Purposefully make extra trips up and down stairs – for no reason except to burn calories – and you will!
At Work
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• Walk and talk on the phone.
• Take short walking breaks.
• Arrive earlier and park farther away.
• Take the stairs whenever possible.
• Move during lunch.
• Keep small weights or exercise tubing in your desk or car if you are on the road a lot.
• Instead of emailing a message walk down to the person’s office and talk to them or write them a note and hand deliver it.
• Send yourself a memo to get up and move at regular intervals.
• Take a longer route to the restroom, coffee pot, water cooler.
• Do some standing pushups at copy machine while waiting for copies to print.
• Have a walk and talk business meeting.
• Go to the mall for lunch in bad weather and power shop.
• Get up and stretch at intervals.
• Keep a small ball at your desk and play catch with yourself or your office mate.
On the Road
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• If you have time, deliberately make connections that give you time
in between flights to walk.
• Pack exercise tubing.
• Pack exercise videos.
• If driving, take breaks and walk, use picnic benches for push-ups, chair dips. Do lunges, squats, calf raises.
• Book a hotel with a fitness facility and/or a pool.
• If fitness facility is not available, walk up and down halls, up stairs and continue all the way up to the top and then back down.
• See if there is a public school nearby with a track and use it!
• In hotel room – march or jog in place, do lunges, squats etc.
• Put phone book and other heavy objects in brief case and use for weight lifting.
• As always, take the stairs instead of elevator, escalator or moving walkway.
• Find somewhere to DANCE!! or put on music in hotel room and DANCE!! away! (not too loud!)
See, that isn’t so bad. Once you start incorporating these healthy habits into your lifestyle, you will begin to notice the beneficial effects on your body, mind and spirit. Your energy will increase and you will get through the day without dragging by mid-afternoon. You will feel better about yourself in general so your problem solving skills will be enhanced. These are just two of the many positive results moving more will bring. So, what are you waiting for? Get up and move – it matters!
