Honestly, I feel like things are a lot more daunting when you tell yourself how badly you need to fit in a workout and then think about your job, shopping for groceries, running errands and the usual things that get you either too busy to even think of exercise or just plain exhausted. Well, what if I told you that you could fit in a workout while attending to your regular chores and daily tasks? Because that’s exactly what you’re going to start doing after reading this post. 🙂 Here are a few simple ways you can fit in at least twenty minutes of exercise into your busy schedules!
1) Stop With The Lifts & Escalators
Whether you’re catching the lift up to your apartment or catching the lift upto your office, stop! Use the stairs. Even if it means coming a little earlier to work, always opt for the staircase. If you have many staircases to climb, you may feel a little tired to start off with, but stick to it and I promise it’ll be a matter of time before you’re running up those stairs. A great way to get your heart pumping!
2) No More Push Trolleys
When we go shopping, the first thing we tend to grab is a push trolley. Try to avoid these when you don’t have too many things to carry. Instead, use your arms and hands to hold what you’re carrying and walk around the shopping centre without the aid of trolleys in particular! If there are too many items on your shopping list, use a carry basket instead and alternate from hand to hand. I guarantee, you’ll feel your arm muscles working!
3) Exercise In Bed
You don’t even have to get out of bed to do these. Your energy levels are usually more than replenished first thing in the morning. So before you spring out of bed, make sure you get in a few cycling crunches or some hip bridges which can be done with your arms out to the side, and by pushing your pelvic up to the ceiling with focus on your gluts. This way, you can work both your abs and your gluts before your day has even begun!
4) Say GoodBye To Your Inner Couch Potato
Whenever you get the time to sit down and catch up on that favourite TV show of yours, make it a mission to keep a jump rope or some weights nearby so you can either get skipping or do a few reps with your dumbbells while watching. No gym equipment? No problem! Do around 15 reps of squats, break and repeat. You can pair these with some jumping squats and jumping jacks. If you really want to give yourself a challenge – during ad breaks, try out some burpees. I swear, you’ll be so engrossed in your TV show, you won’t even feel the calories you’re burning!
5) Exercise Those Chores Away
I know many of us either have domestic help, or tend to do a somewhat half-hearted job when it comes to our chores. Instead, take this on as a challenge, plug in some music and get going! Do some gardening, get dusting, sweep the house and mop afterwards. You may not realise it but your entire body is working out while you’re knocking off these chores.
In addition to all the above, avoid sugary/salty food and make sure you’re eating plenty of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains and lean meat. Substitute your tea/coffees with green tea plus loads of H2O and you’ll be seeing some results in no time!
Remember to keep at it and you’ll find yourself feeling like a brand new you!