Exercise in today´s fast-paced world seems more like a luxury than a necessity. How many times have you heard somebody say that they just don´t have time to exercise? However, exercise is vitally important for health, productivity and for stress relief. So it would really be beneficial if we looked at how we could incorporate exercise into our lives with, the time we currently have!
Firstly, to enjoy exercise, it is going to have fit comfortably into your life, it´s going to have to work, it must not make you stressed or overwhelmed. The good news is that research is starting to show that if you exercise for 10 minutes three times a day, it is just as effect as 30 minutes all together!
This is great news as this makes it easier for some of us to fit exercise into our day in smaller quantities. Doesn’t that already make exercise seem a lot less daunting? So drop those diets and those weight loss plans and let´s look at some creative techniques you can apply to feel energized and improve your productivity.
We need to change our way of thinking about exercise and to start using our imagination and be more creative – the point is, do we really need to be in a gym lifting weights or machines to tighten our tummies? It’s the movement that counts, not the machinery!
Here are simple exercises you can incorporate into your days at home, while working, wherever you are!
- Stairs are great – If you have stairs in your house, for 5-10 minutes every morning before you shower, walk up and down them or even in a building or at work.
- Put your own muscles against themselves – Wall push-ups are great for those upper arm muscles!
- While watching TV – Take advantage and do some leg lifts or abdominal crunches, you can even do stretching on the floor in front of the TV.
- At lunch – Take a short 10minute walk before or after your lunch. Or take a ten minute walk anytime in the day when you can, even if it is up and down your corridor at work.
- At your desk – Do shoulder rotations, neck stretches or arm circles, these stretches are great for releasing built up stress!
- At your desk – Keeping your back straight, arms at the side, lift your foot until your leg is straight and hold it for a few minutes, change to do with the other.
- Walk – Don’t use lifts or escalators if you don’t have to, walk – never pass up a flight of stairs.
- At home – Jumping jacks are great for a 2-3 minute warm up before walking up the stairs for example.
- Work your legs – forward lunges can be done anywhere!
These are all exercises that will have a huge effect if you make the effort to do it, it can´t be easier than that! So exercise your imagination – If anything has a weight, it can be lifted! And remember, when cleaning, mopping or vacuuming, put as much energy into it as you can and you will burn more calories and your house will look cleaner too!
Forget the constraints that have been holding you back from being more active. Look forward and make the positive changes that will bring positive results into your life. The latest research leaves us with no doubt that fitness can be achieved in many different forms, for shorter periods and with less intensity than we have always thought.
If you are going to take this approach, for top results you should try to balance the three:
Cardiovascular or aerobic (to burn calories, control blood & cholesterol levels and stress)
Strength building (to maintain your firm and shape)
Flexibility (to stretch)
If we want to feel more energized and productive we need to incorporate some type of exercise into our days. When you are out and about or at home, challenge yourself to find ways to exercise, once you start to see results, you will be amazed!
Remember that regular physical activity can improve your strength, boost your endurance and productivity. There is a direct link between physical fitness and work participation. The better you feel, the better you perform and the more money you make! You will have more energy to do the things you want to or feel like doing the things you should! Time is not an excuse anymore!
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