You intend to exercise, but never quite manage to get in more than a few minutes before something more urgent pulls you away. Like many people, you solemnly promise to make it up tomorrow, yet your to-do list is growing instead of shrinking every day. The federal government and numerous health experts recommend that Americans get 30 minutes to an hour of exercise daily, but you are not alone if this goal seems beyond reach. To fit exercise into your busy life, take advantage of opportunities to shape up and burn calories at work, while completing chores and even during your TV time.
Commuter Exercise
If you drive to work, park your car a few blocks away from your building and walk to your office at a brisk pace. If you take public transportation, get off a few stops before your regular station and walk. Trade your car or carpool for a bike and make your entire commute time an exercise session.
Office Exercise
Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Get up and walk around your office every two hours; talk to coworkers instead of sending email. At lunchtime, put on some comfortable shoes and walk before you have your meal. Enlist the support of a coworker to help you stick to your schedule. If company policies permit it, ask for a standing desk or computer workstation. Spend an hour or two standing while working, instead of sitting. MayoClinic.com recommends using a treadmill with your workstation, but you can burn additional calories by pacing while you work in a standing position or using a small stepper while seated.
Home Exercise
Walk around your house whenever you are talking on the phone. Keep resistance bands near the remote control and do stretches while you watch your favorite programs. Stand and stretch periodically. Stand up while you watch TV; use a nearby wall to support yourself and do a few deep knee bends or lunges. Do squats, sit on a Pilates ball instead of a chair or do leg raises while seated on the couch. It may feel silly, but it is still exercise.
Fidgeting, Errands and Chores
Even though your mom probably spent hours on end trying to break you of this bad habit, fidgeting is the new fitness for busy people. It is not true exercise, but it burns more calories than doing nothing, according to MayoClinic.com. You expend energy or calories at any time you are active, so go ahead and fidget in peace. Tap your feet, swing your arms or move your head from side-to-side to fidget off a few calories whenever it is safe to do so.
Go to the grocery store when it is nearly empty. After you load up your basket, spend an extra 10 minutes walking through the aisles briskly. To burn more calories, use a hand basket instead of the shopping cart and add a gallon jug of water. Keep small hand weights in the bathroom and your car. Exercise with weights while you wait for the car to warm up and body at traffic lights. Sit down and do leg lifts with ankle weights while you brush your teeth.
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