Some people wake up every morning two hours before they even need to leave the house. They pick up their carefully packed gym bag, get in their car and spend the next hour sweating it out at a class or on perfectly maintained equipment. They’re showered, changed and always on time for work. Others among us roll out of bed after the fifth snooze of the alarm and forget that we ever even signed up for a circuit class until we get notified of the missed session fee. If you fall into the latter group, we have 10 tips to fit a workout in.
10-Minute Bursts
Can’t find the time to dedicate a solid half or full hour to the dreadmill? You’re not alone, that’s for sure. Many people struggle to carve out big chunks of time in the morning, during lunch or in the evening. Instead, try out 10-minute bursts of exercise throughout the day. These really do add up, and they don’t require a sad lunch at your desk while checking emails.
Fidget Away
Have you been trying to kick your fidgeting habits? Maybe they’re not so bad after all. It turns out that fidgeting could burn 350 calories each day. Now, that doesn’t mean you get a pass if your partner considers it a terribly annoying habit (driving them up the wall tends to be a bad thing!). You can, however, stop being hard on yourself.
Walk & Talk
An oldie but a goodie. Do you have to take conference or work calls regularly? Try getting up and moving around while you do it! For calls where you’re not a terribly active participant (like those team ones) you can put yourself on mute so that you’re not creating unnecessary background noise. It’s a pretty common tactic, so don’t be ashamed to let the person on the other line know that you might be moving around while chatting. On the flip side, you might want to be a little less mobile for very important calls where you need to give a good impression.
Marie Kondo It
Tidying up may be all the rage right now, but there’s an extra bonus to it that gets overlooked. Cleaning can be a pretty sweaty activity when it comes right down to it. Moving furniture, climbing ladders and walking back and forth to put away misplaced items all adds up. For those with small children to clean up after, this goes double!
Exit Early
If you regularly take public transit, try getting off a stop early and walking to your destination. Note: this also works well for those times you forget and get off late! For people who drive to work and the store, try parking farther away. In the summer time, this could be an excellent time to find some shaded parking in the back corner of a lot.
Netflix Bingo
Whatever your current favorite TV show is, it’s likely that you’re familiar with the plot a few episodes in. Try making up a little game to get a workout in while you watch! For a sitcom, you could do a push-up for every time the laugh track goes. For popular shows, there are probably versions already online.
Avoid The Elevator
If you live or work in a multi-story building, skip the elevator and choose the stairs when you can. You can even try using the restroom another floor to get in a few more flights.
Kidding Around
Have any kids in your life? Whether you’re a parent, an aunt/uncle or a family friend, you can offer to take the kids for some play time. Parks and playgrounds are a great place to get some version of a workout in. Pushing them on the swing, helping them get up to the monkey bars and running around are all fun ways to get in a little activity. As a bonus, it’s time outside for the kiddos!
Be Prepared
If you feel like you’re chained to your desk more often than not, try putting a pair of weights in a drawer. This makes it easy to pull them out for a few moves when you only have a little bit of downtime. The goal is really just to remove as many barriers as possible between you and your workout.
Active Hobbies
Rock climbing. Competitive speed walking. Dragon boat racing. Make your hobbies into active ones. There are tons of options, both paid and entirely free out there. It’s just a matter of trying them out and seeing what works well for you.
