Last week on Fitness Friday, one of my lovely readers, Alina, commented that she tries to workout everyday, even if it’s just for 20 minutes. It really got me thinking about how much better I feel when I’ve gotten some form of fitness into my day. We all have days where despite our best intentions, we know squeezing in a workout is just not going to happen. Maybe it’s happening for the second, third, or fourth day in a row. Even on those days, you can sneak in fitness. Whether you are at work, out running errands, or staying home with the kids, there are ways you can incorporate calorie burning, bursts of cardio, and strength training into your day. Small efforts add up, and something is always better than nothing when it comes to fitness. Here are my tricks for making fitness happen when life is taking over and not letting me get a formal workout in.
1. Stop five times during your day and do ten push ups. Push ups are a great whole-body exercise and 50 push ups in a day is a lot! You can find time to do ten at five different times, can’t you? Think first thing when you wake up, after cleaning up the breakfast dishes, during your lunch break or when you put your little one down for a nap, sometime during the late afternoon or early evening, and before bed. See? Easy.
2. When you are going up stairs, sprint up. If you have an extra minute, go up and down a few times.
3. Park as far away from where you are going as possible. Trust me, those extra steps add up!
4. While brushing your teeth, do squats.
5. Do lunges while walking through your house.
6. Use the stairs instead of an elevator. Walk up escalators instead of standing.
7. Where ever you are going, walk fast. You’re burning more calories and getting your heart pumping just a little bit more.
8. Stop what you are doing and do 10-15 chair dips. Do this 2-3 times during the day.
9. Take a break and do a plank. Hold it as long as you can. Do this multiple times during the day.
10. Whether you are working at a desk or at home playing with your toddler, keep dumb bells nearby. Sneak in some strength training in between working/playing.
Whether you do one of these on your non-workout days or all 10, your body will be better off for sneaking in some extra fitness. Do you have sneaky ways you squeeze fitness into your day? Please share! Have a great weekend, everyone.
This is so great!! So often we think the only way to be active is to hit the gym or go for a run… and while those things are important, the little things count too! thanks again for the tips and I hope that you have a happy, healthy week!
Thanks Cailee–you, too!
Hi Maryea,
Here I am commenting again :). Regarding number 4 from your list. I like to stretch while I am brushing my teeth. My husband caught me in funny positions in the bathroom as I am stretching and trying not to drool too much in the same time :). Incorporating exercise every day is something that makes me feel good about myself. As you said in your post, “something is better than nothing”.
I need to remember to stretch more!
Sometimes I do squats while putting laundry in the machine. Every time I reach into the hamper I squat. There are a LOT of times you reach in a hamper!
Love that idea!
These are great tips! We just got a stand-up desk in my office, and I really love it. It is such a good break from sitting all the time. We share two of them in our department, but I’ve been lucky to get to use it two days for a few hours at a time.
I love the idea of a stand up desk!
Love it. No excuses! I love 20 minute at home HIIT sessions. They burn serious calories and they go by crazy fast! My faves are from benderfitness.com and toneitup.com’s Love Your Body HIIT. Even better, they build up stamina for when you do have time for a run. I shaved nearly a minute off my mile average when I started incorporating them into my routine. I usually do them with both my kids (5 and almost 18 mos) running around the living room too. I strongly believe we can all fit 20 minutes in most days.
Wow a whole minute off of your mile? That’s incredible! I will have to check out those workouts.