7 Exercise Tips for Busy People
It takes time and effort to take care of your body.
Everyone would agree with me on that one. But what’s difficult, is finding the time to do that, isn’t it? It often feels like time is against us and we are too busy to even make time for what we WANT to do, let alone find time to create new, healthy habits. It’s not exactly relaxing to start a new exercise routine when you’re already exhausted from work and life.
However, it is incredibly important to find time to exercise. The benefits of exercise are too important to ignore. Whether its reducing your risk of heart disease, controlling your weight, strengthening your bones and muscles, or even improving your mental health and mood, exercise is something we just cannot NOT do.
Thankfully, there are lots of ways to fit exercise in without having to go to the gym every single day. Doing the same thing day in and day out can get boring, and habits we find boring aren’t habits we’re likely to keep up forever. Therefore, variety in the ways we fit in exercise is a must to keep the excitement going!
Here are SEVEN WAYS to sneak exercise into your daily routine. Each tip is tested for sustainability, and will make exercise a lot more fun than those one-size-fits-all routines you’ve probably tried in the past.
1. Rethink your seating. At your workplace, do you sit in a normal office chair? If so, consider shifting to a standing desk, which exercises your leg muscles much more actively than you would while sitting passively. Even sitting on an exercise ball forces your core muscles to activate, helping your body exercise to keep itself stable. Another thing I’ve tried is wearing a Fit bit during the day as it makes me more conscious of how much I’m sitting versus how much I’m moving! And by far, every time I wear it, I walk more! All these efforts may not seem like much, but they stack up to greater muscular strength, mobility, and more movement over time.
2. Rethink your commute. If you’re in a position where you can walk or bike to work, that can be a start to your day that’s both active and relaxing. You’ll walk into the office centered from the movement and time spent listening to your own thoughts. Even doing exercises based around sitting can add up. Some shoulder flexion action during the morning traffic jam can go a long way toward preventing stiffness and tightness in the body. Click >>HERE<< for some ideas seated exercise ideas.
3. Do what you’re a fan of. Love watching Dancing With The Stars? Take up ballroom dancing or even Zumba. Love fast moving sports and the adrenaline that comes with it? Try some 100m sprints at your local track with one minute of rest in between. You will move fast and be intense! You see, by building upon what you already love you’re setting the stage to have a lot more fun than doing exercise you “have” to do.
4. Recruit your friends. Ever hear the saying, “The more, the merrier?” It applies to fitness, too! Grab a friend or two for a hike, jog, bike ride, or leisurely stroll. You’ll find that the time flies – and you might even find yourself looking forward to your next excursion! I personally love working out in group settings and look forward to working out at my Crossfit gym in the group classes. Not only does everyone encourage one another to keep going when we all want to just give up, you really have a chance to build relationships with people! And for me, that’s a win-win 🙂
5. Don’t punish yourself for low activity. The body adapts to activity levels, but it also loves resting. Even if you just stretch your body during commercial breaks or walking around your house while talking on the phone, keeping your body from growing sedentary is a very good thing. So keep it going to see benefits! You’ll never regret exercising, even if it feels like “not enough.”
6. Join a competition. Do you consider yourself to be a competitive person? Then joining a competition could be the perfect option for you! Even if you don’t have the skills to compete in a league for your activity of choice, you can still challenge your friends or yourself to up your game. I know here in Grand Cayman, I’ve heard of a lot of companies who do fitness challenges such as who can get the most steps in a week! And every single person I talk to who does that competition, by far takes more steps than they normally ever would! All by simply being more conscious of the opportunities to take more steps. So hey, competition may be just what you need to keep moving 🙂
7. Find a pre-made fitness plan you can do from home. Sometimes having someone else make a fitness plan for you will make all the difference in consistency and knowing what to do when you find the time for exercise. It’s even better when the workouts can be done in a short amount of time, are different each day, and can be done from your own home and around your neighborhood! If this is something that interests you, then I encourage you to join the Restart Express – 30 Day Fit & Healthy Jump Start Program, starting October 3rd, as part of the program is just this – a pre-made fitness plan you can do from your home! AND! If you sign up by September 24th, and you’ll receive 20% off to overall price. Click >>HERE<< for more details.
Question for you: How do you make sure you get enough exercise? How do you make your exercise work in your routine? Share your experience in the comment section below!
Busyness does not have to be your enemy when it comes to your fitness! I encourage you to make it your goal try to implement at least one of the tips above over the next 30 days, and let me know how it goes 🙂
P.S. If you would like some support in your fitness journey, be sure to grab my 30 Day Fitness Plan that’s FREE for a limited time only >>HERE<<.
