Fitting in exercise can definitely be tricky when you live a busy life filled with work, childcare, and chores. And not all of us have the desire to be up before dawn each day to get the recommended daily amount of movement in. Fortunately, there are many ways that you can fit more exercise into your life without having to give up on time with the kids, with your partner, or at work.
Here are a few of the best ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.
Work Out with Your Friends
Combining your workouts and social time with your friends can help to ensure that exercising doesn’t cut into your quality time with friends. It can also help keep you motivated as you can all encourage each other to stick with an exercise routine.
You could consider going for a group run, and then getting coffee or even a glass of wine afterward. Yoga or spin classes are another great way to exercise as a group. You could also cut costs and exercise remotely with your friends. All you need is access to a video calling platform. You can then start an exercise video from YouTube together, and finish up with a catch-up.
Cycle to Work
Cycling to work is a great way to get fit, save money on gas, and feel more productive. Many offices nowadays have showering facilities, so it’s easier than ever to cycle to work without worrying about being sweaty around the office! Given traffic issues at rush hour, it’s unlikely that cycling will take much longer than your usual commute – and it may even be quicker.
Cycling is an excellent form of exercise and can really help to start your day off on the right foot. Check out this article from Velosurance for more information on how you can benefit from a daily cycling morale boost.
Break it Down into Manageable Chunks
If the thought of jumping straight into an hour-long spin class is too much for you, then you could consider starting out more gently with short chunks of exercise throughout the day. There are plenty of short 10-minute exercise videos out there to choose from, whether you’re more into weight training, yoga, or high-intensity interval training.
Try starting out with ten minutes of exercise per day. The activity you do can be as intensive or relaxed as you like. If you’re coming out of an extensive period of inactivity or are recovering from an injury, then you might want to consider starting with ten minutes of gentle walking near your home every day. After a week or two, you could begin walking faster or adding extra workouts throughout the day to increase your activity levels at a comfortable and achievable pace.
Consider Using a Standing Desk
Standing rather than sitting is a great way to get healthier without having to break a sweat. It could be worth seeing if your employer would be willing to install a standing desk in your office as part of an employee fitness drive. Standing has been shown to reduce the risk of weight gain and some health conditions like heart disease.
You could also consider standing when playing video games or when watching TV. You don’t have to stay on your feet all day, every day to feel the benefits. You could consider standing for an hour, then sitting for an hour, and continuing to alternate throughout the day. If you take public transport to work, you could also consider standing then, regardless of whether seats are available.
Play with Your Kids
You probably do this one already, but you could consider devoting extra time to playing with your children. Try doing this outside by going to a park or playground and running around with them, playing tag, or any other energetic game. This will do you and your children a huge amount of good since you will not only be staying active but giving you all extra time together to have fun and bond too.
For rainy days you could consider investing in video games that encourage fitness. Fitness games are an excellent way for the whole family to get fit and healthy. Video games like Wii Fit or virtual reality games are ideal for getting you moving around while having plenty of fun.
Exercise During Your Lunch Break
Taking some time out to exercise during your lunch break can be a great way to fit exercise into your day without cutting into your leisure time at home.
You could try eating your lunch at your desk and then using your lunch break to go for a walk around your office or attend a short fitness class if there is one nearby. Even something as simple as walking around your office or climbing the stairs can improve your fitness levels over time.
Every bit of movement counts so just get out there and do something! Trust me, your body will thank you!
