When it comes to finding time to exercise, it might not be easy. Here are some recommendations I make to my physical therapy patients… and how I manage to stay on the move.
Over the last 11 years, I’ve learned that the “I’ll work out later” strategy doesn’t work for me. To be sane and preserve my health and fitness, I need to schedule exercise time into my day.
To keep your body moving throughout the day and week, try including a few extra exercises. Over time, even a few more minutes of movement here and there build up.
Here are 10 ways to move more during everyday life without having to block more time out of your busy schedule!
Incorporate walking meetings
Schedule a walk during one call every day if you work from home or have switched to virtual conference calls.
Plugin your headphones, put your phone in your pocket and go on a stroll to fix the world’s issues if you don’t need to be staring at a screen looking at spreadsheets. It’s an excellent method to add variety to your routine.
Take your one-on-one meetings with you if you work in an office. Walking as a group improves team cohesion and may even lead to better ideas. Walking has been shown to increase creativity and mental acuity in studies.
Lunge it up
I do this a lot, and it occasionally gets me odd glances, but hey, I’m a busy lady, and my time is valuable!
Try walking lunges down the grocery aisles while holding on to the cart when you’re out shopping. The cart provides a decent balance point, and depending on how long your supermarket’s aisles are; you can do roughly 10–20 lunges in a single pass. Go for it; it’s a lot of fun!
Sit on an exercise ball.
Substitute a stability ball for your workplace chair. This can help with back discomfort and improve posture, and you can do some gentle mobility exercises for your neck, pelvis, and spine while sitting on the ball.
To assist in activating your core stabilizers, try hula-hooping and tucking and untucking your pelvis. You can also practice seated marches or other exercises on the ball while sitting at your desk if you want to do some abdominal work.
Place your car in a faraway location. While we must remain secure and aware of our surroundings, try parking further away from the entrance of wherever you’re going if you’re in a safe and well-lit neighbourhood. Adding a few minutes of walking time here and there builds up over time and can help you get more steps throughout your day!
Have more sex
You are, indeed, welcome. According to previous studies, sex burns roughly 3.1 calories per minute for women and 4.2 calories per minute for males.
So, while it’s not the same as a furious jog, you can break a sweat while having sex. While moving more, have fun, try new positions and techniques, and bond with your partner.
Foster a pet
Volunteers are constantly needed at our local shelter and other adoption agencies. Bring the whole family to the shelter and volunteer to walk a few dogs.
You can spend more time outside, help a dog and your neighbourhood, teach your children about compassion, and spend great family time being active and moving your body. It’s a win-win-win situation for everyone involved.
Have a dance party
Remove all of the furnishings from the room and play some music. This can be done while you’re cooking, folding laundry, or vacuuming.
Dancing is an excellent method to burn calories and improve your balance and coordination simultaneously. You can even turn it into a game or a competition with your children. Isn’t it true that they need to learn about 80s rock? Shake your booty to some ACDC (or whatever makes you tap your feet).
Switch up your game night
Swap out cards or board games with active games during your next family game night.
Hide & seek, kick the can, scavenger hunts, Twister, frozen dance, potato sack races, pin the tail on the donkey, musical chairs, hopscotch, jump rope, hula hoop contests, limbo… are just a few examples. The games you used to like as a kid are still enjoyable today.
These games can be played with persons of any age and can be played both indoors and outdoors. Playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey and Freeze Frame Dance Party with my family is a joy, and we’re all sweaty and exhausted by the end.
Exercise or stretch during TV time
I realize this goes against all of the “binges and relax” ideas, but bear with me. During your next Netflix binge, walk on the treadmill, ride a stationary bike, stretch on the floor, lift weights for upper- and full-body strength, or perform Pilates.
If you move throughout a 30-minute show, that’s 30 minutes of exercise you didn’t get previously! If that feels like a decent place to start, you can even limit it to when the advertisements come on.
Keep your exercise equipment close to where you’ll be binge-viewing, and do some bodyweight exercises or foam rolling while you’re watching.
The bottom line
I hope that these suggestions stimulate and inspire you to get up and move more during the day.
I understand how difficult it is to stick to a schedule, and it cannot be very safe when you first start exercising but attempting a couple of these things can help.
Start with a few lunges here and there, a weekly walking meetup, or a few trips up and down the stairs, and before you know it, you’ll be moving and groovin’ much more than before.
