“Guard well your spare moments. They are like uncut diamonds. Discard them and their value will never be known. Improve them and they will become the brightest gems in a useful life.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Time is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.”
-Carl Sandburg
How do you spend those precious spare moments in your day? Workouts don’t need to be a full hour blocked off on your schedule where you zone the rest of the world out- they can be quick little bursts throughout the day. Check out the workout page of Fitness Magazine’s site: http://www.fitnessmagazine.com/workout/. There are links to all kinds of 15 minute exercises: 15 minute butt, 15 minute arms, 15 minute cardio, 15 minute jump roping, etc. Honestly, who CARES if you’re a little out of breath and glistening when you run your next errand- you’re going to feel really proud of yourself, and your body is going to be slimming, so who cares what other people think!
If 15 minutes is too big of a chunk of time, try little things like sitting on an exercise ball while at the computer instead of on an office chair- tiny little flexes on your core will make a difference over time. Try doing plies (like Marianne) or squats while you’re brushing your teeth in the bathroom in the morning or while you’re in the shower shampooing your hair.
Park your car at the back of the parking lot and hike in. Not only will you not feel that anxious must-find-front-row-spot feeling, but you’ll be proud of yourself for the extra 50-100 steps you’re taking!
Cleaning the house, go ahead and do multiple trips up and down the stairs at a fast pace, rather than making a pile at the bottom of the stairs of stuff that needs to be taken upstairs and then taking it up only when it gets to be a massive load. Find a project that you need to do at home, like re-organizing cupboards above your head in the kitchen, or lifting and rearranging storage in the basement or garage- your arms and shoulders will love you.
Play with your kids; do airplane, horsey rides, tickling, rolling around and laughing, somersaults, cartwheels, jumping rope, hula hoop, etc. You’re doing double duty workouts & quality fun time with the kiddos.
In warmer weather, keep a jogger stroller or a wagon in the back of the car. If you’re waiting 10 minutes for picking someone up or while you’re running errands, take the littler kiddos for a walk or a wagon-pull around the school grounds. Be spontaneous and say “yes” when your kids see a fun new park or playground they’ve never stopped at and climb on the jungle gym with them for 5 minutes!
Just a little bit of exercise will ENERGIZE you for MORE exercise! Add up 5 minutes here, 2 minutes there, and you might be surprised by the end of the day how much of a workout you got in!
What other ideas do you have for squeezing in little workouts in your busy schedule?
I've spoken of it before, but I've been getting in my workouts with my new job. I've become a dog walker. Most of it has been "dog running", which is better for them and me. Two birds, one stone. Today we did almost two miles of hills - a great workout!
ReplyDeletei've been getting my workout done while my son takes his nap around 11 am. i tried to do it while he was awake. big mistake...he thought i was playing. i probablly could find something to do to include him with me though. :) this week is harder then i thought. isn't it said if you can do it for three weeks after the it becomes a habit. well, i feel like i'm hitting that wall. i'm pushing through!!! i can do this, i need to do this!!!
ReplyDeleteMy family loves watching the Biggest Loser together and workout in between commercials. When there is a commercial, we each take a turn to chose an exercise and then do that together.
ReplyDeleteWe also have a wii and like to play games together and a lot of these games are pretty active and can get your heart rate up!
Thanks for all the great ideas to stay active by including your family. I definitely need to do better at this!