« Project Management and Fitness Prescription | Home | Benefits of Hiring a Personal Trainer »
Fitness for the Busy Lifestyle
By Anne Keckler | February 6, 2008
I have a very busy life. On most days I homeschool my children, cook at least one meal, try to do some housework, and drive children to various activities, including gymnastics, theatre, and art. Where does a person like me find time to keep fit?
The answer to this question will vary, but the most important thing is to make exercise and proper diet high priorities. If they are important enough to you, you will find ways to accomplish what you want to accomplish. Obviously, the most important thing to me is to take care of my children, but it would be much more difficult for me to do that if I didn’t have the energy and vitality that I get from regular exercise.
Here’s a list of ideas for fitting exercise and a healthy diet into your busy day:
Exercise:
- Get up an hour or so earlier and exercise before going to work.
- Exercise on your lunch hour.
- Set an alarm to get up from your desk and walk or do jumping jacks or jump rope for ten minutes, several times a day.
- Exercise while your children are at an extracurricular activity, such as sports practice or art class.
- Take turns with a spouse, so that one of you keeps the children while the other gets some exercise, and vice versa.
- Exercise with your children and/or significant other. Ride bikes, jump on the trampoline, or learn to hula hoop together.
- Find activities you enjoy, so you’ll be more likely to make time for them.
- Fit more activity into your daily life by taking the stairs instead of the elevator, parking further away, etc.
- Do squats or pushups while waiting for a web page to load, a fax to arrive, or whatever else you spend your time waiting for each day.
- Do a few exercises with a resistance band while sitting at your desk.
- Set up a home gym if you’re the type of person who will use one.
- Get a stationary bike or treadmill, and exercise while watching TV or reading.
- Whenever you are sitting in your car, or on your sofa, or at your desk, you can contract your abdominal muscles and hold for several seconds. Do a few sets each time.
- Do kegels whenever you are sitting.
- Get a cordless phone so you can walk around, even if you just pace back and forth, while talking.
- Sit on a balance ball instead of a chair.
Nutrition:
- Plan all of your meals at least a week in advance.
- Eat the same thing for breakfast every day, so you don’t have to think about it.
- Cook large batches of healthy foods once a week, and freeze them in meal-size portions.
- Have a bran muffin and protein shake for one of your meals.
- Keep a bottle of water with you at all times, and sip on it often.
- Eat a salad every day. This is a simple thing that will help to fill you up, while giving you needed fiber, as well as some vitamins and minerals. And it’s low in calories, if you don’t smother it in salad dressing.
Can you think of any ideas I haven’t listed? Please share them by clicking on the “Comment” link below.
Related posts:
- How Your Lifestyle Affects Your Fitness
- How much exercise?
- Taking My Own Advice
- Fitness for Older Adults
- Net Carbs
Related posts:
- How Your Lifestyle Affects Your Fitness
- How much exercise?
- Taking My Own Advice
- Fitness for Older Adults
- Net Carbs
Topics: Uncategorized | 5 Comments »
February 6th, 2008 at 6:10 pm
This is a very comprehensive list of the little things someone can do to cram physical activity into their day.
I laugh to myself everytime I hear someone (several times a week) say they don’t have time to exercise, but they can drone on for half an hour about the 3 tv shows they watched last night. Watching one less tv show a day and substitute exercise (or do both if following some of the suggestions) is enough to get in a workout.
For very busy people with little downtime during the day/evening, it simply is training your body to get out of bed an hour earlier. It takes some getting used to, but it can be done.
Good article!
February 6th, 2008 at 7:14 pm
Thank you for this, I am always being pushed by the clock, and while I don’t waste time watching TV I do get too much screen time on my Macintosh. Having strategies to help me exercise in small doses is also helpful because of my arthritis and scoliosis.
February 7th, 2008 at 10:32 am
Great read. This provides proof that people don’t have to spends hours a week in a gym to get into better shape. I will say that going to the gym expedites the process, especially for someone like me who easily gets sidetracked by things needing to be done.
With my job, I’m sitting in front of a computer 8 hours a day. I’ve made it a habit to get water to drink each day, which involves going down a flight of stairs; we have no elevator. This works on two problems at one time: Getting plenty of water to drink (I drink a gallon a day at work) and fitting in some exercise during the day.
February 7th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Vicham, adding little activities into your daily routine will certainly not take the place of a real workout, but for many people it would be more than they are doing currently. Notice that some of my first suggestions involve finding time for real, sustained exercise.
August 11th, 2008 at 7:59 pm
Does anyone know of a person in Tallahassee who teaches a hula hoop fitness class ??? We are looking to add new classes to our schedule and would like to possibly add something like a hooping class! Any info would be appreciated — please email marion@artofthecatwalk.com or call our studio at 309-7653.
Thanks!
~ Dannon
Art of the Catwalk
Ladies Dance & Fitness