How to Sneak some much needed Exercise into Your Daily Life

Here's some tips for you time-tapped workaholics

Do you feel you should get more exercise but feel so busy you can’t even dedicate 30 minutes for a gym or a walk?

Actually, you can get a good workout even if you have no time to go to a gym. Small things add up.


The idea is to get as much physical activity as possible as part of your daily life.

I created a short list of suggestions on how to sneak exercise to your life. Many of the suggestions are inspired by Dr Bookspan’s fitness articles.

The following activities are especially good for your calves, thighs and butt. They are perfect for office workers who sit at a desk all day. (Thigh and hip muscles are the biggest muscle group in the human body and they consume a lot of calories – if you give them a chance.)

If you have knee problems, consider learning to do the stationary exercises like lunges and squats first.

Take the stairs

Climbing and descending stairs at every opportunity provides free exercise for your calf, thigh and butt muscles. The catch is that if you want to get more than sore knees out of this exercise, you had better check your technique. Dr Bookspan’s article shows how to climb stairs without knee problems.

Learning to go up and down stairs using Jolie Bookspan’s instructions has been quite a revelation to me. It’s completely different to go down the stairs using your calf muscles to slow down the movement and using the thigh and butt muscles to go up. After one week my legs feel lot stronger than before and my knees aren’t any worse for wear.

I’m lucky to live on the 3rd floor, so I get a little exercise just by going home. Sometimes, I take several trips to the car to get my groceries, laundry or briefcase on purpose, just to get more movement.

TIP: Proceed slowly. At the beginning, I practiced climbing stairs very slowly so that I could be sure I’m really using my muscles and not just letting my joints take all the strain. If you don’t have a chance to climb stairs, find some sturdy piece of furniture you can use instead.

At your desk

Learn to lunge using Bookspan’s instructions. Have a short break, position yourself beside your desk. No special equipment needed. The amount of lunges you do depends on how strong your muscles are already.

Lunges can be quite strenuous to do if you do them correctly. You can take support of the desk if necessary, but don’t lean.

Consider participating in one of Dr. Bookspan's Projects for Smart Readers, the Great Projects for Health. Not only does Dr. Bookspan do a good job of motivating people, she makes it fun and effective as well.

Use short blocks of time

Take advantage of short blocks of time and have several 10 minute “workouts” instead.

I’m usually able to sneak 10 minutes of walking or another activity in my day by telling myself it’s only 10 minutes. Consider having a 10 minute workout in the morning, one after you eat lunch and again in the evening if possible.

Exercise videos are a great way to get in shape as well. For example, ExerciseTV has a large collection of 10 minute (and longer) exercise videos you can download for a few dollars/piece.

Shopping

Shopping can be a great source of physical activity. Though it's usually more "fun" for women, guys can get excited looking at electronics, sporting equipment (they'll never use) and car accessories.
You can get some serious exercise when you spend an afternoon in a shopping center. Wear a pedometer when you go shopping. You'll be amazed at how quickly you rack up 10, 000 steps.

Even though it doesn’t fell like exercise, it doesn’t mean it isn’t real exercise. Take your partner or some friends, go window shopping and have some fun!
For more tips on living happier, healthier and longer, check out some of the ebooks available on my AssEtEbooks.com website, such as The Science of Breath, one of the many free ebooks available as a free pdf download, with no sign-up, log-in or obligations.

Written By: Tom Retterbush