Sneaking In A Workout
Do you not have an hour or two every day for a nice, long workout? You don't need one if you think "exercise" all day long.
1. Do things the hard way. We've made so many of our daily chores "easier" and they're not physically demanding anymore. Vacuuming, scrubbing and other cleaning can all be great, short exercises throughout the day. No more shortcuts!
2. Though it sounds cliche, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the far end of the parking lot and carry as much as you can safely handle while you're out running errands. Your body might balk at first, but it will thank you for it later.
3. Just because you're sitting in a chair all day doesn't mean you can't exercise. Leg lifts, cactus-arm stretches and seated twists can tone muscles and work out the kinks from a long period of inactivity.
4. Set your phone alarm to go off every couple of hours. When it dings, get up and walk around, grab your hand weights for a few curls or jog around the house a time or two. Having set times to move around will help you keep track of your progress.
5. Call a friend and chat while you walk. You should be walking at a comfortable pace so you can still speak but not just meander. It's a fun way to catch up and get in a few minutes of exercise - unless you're chatty and want to keep going.
6. Before you hit the shower in the morning, take five minutes to do sit ups, jumping jacks, squats and a wall sit. Don't take a break in between, just go from one to the other and you're sure to get your heart rate up.
7. If you don't feel too silly, you can throw a few exercises into your morning routine in other ways, too. Squat while you brush your teeth. Do calf raises while curling your hair. Wall sit while you're filing your nails. Consider it a personal challenge to multitask!
1. Do things the hard way. We've made so many of our daily chores "easier" and they're not physically demanding anymore. Vacuuming, scrubbing and other cleaning can all be great, short exercises throughout the day. No more shortcuts!
2. Though it sounds cliche, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park at the far end of the parking lot and carry as much as you can safely handle while you're out running errands. Your body might balk at first, but it will thank you for it later.
3. Just because you're sitting in a chair all day doesn't mean you can't exercise. Leg lifts, cactus-arm stretches and seated twists can tone muscles and work out the kinks from a long period of inactivity.
4. Set your phone alarm to go off every couple of hours. When it dings, get up and walk around, grab your hand weights for a few curls or jog around the house a time or two. Having set times to move around will help you keep track of your progress.
5. Call a friend and chat while you walk. You should be walking at a comfortable pace so you can still speak but not just meander. It's a fun way to catch up and get in a few minutes of exercise - unless you're chatty and want to keep going.
6. Before you hit the shower in the morning, take five minutes to do sit ups, jumping jacks, squats and a wall sit. Don't take a break in between, just go from one to the other and you're sure to get your heart rate up.
7. If you don't feel too silly, you can throw a few exercises into your morning routine in other ways, too. Squat while you brush your teeth. Do calf raises while curling your hair. Wall sit while you're filing your nails. Consider it a personal challenge to multitask!
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