February 12, 2014
11 Ways to Squeeze Activity Into Your Busy Day
We all have days that it seems impossible to do a legitimate workout. Let's be honest: after my son was born, I had too many days like that. I got into the habit of sneaking in little bits of activity so that at the end of the day I felt like I did something good for myself.
Here are my favorite no-time fitness tricks:
At home:
- Do this as many times as you can throughout the day: 10 (jump) squats + 10 push ups with side plank twist + 10 lying leg lift butt lifts. This little round only takes me 1 min & 20 sec. I usually do this before a shower, before brushing my teeth, or before bed on days I don't have time for a workout.
- While standing at the sink washing dishes do calf raises & leg lifts for glutes (posterior and side lifts).
- Before bed: side lying leg lifts for glutes. See this video for a demonstration.
- Walk to run errands if you live in a walk-able neighborhood.
- Do 1 round of a 12 minute HIIT workout. 12 minutes may seem like too much, but 4 min is doable! Maybe you can do the other rounds throughout the day.
- Park a bit further away from your workplace.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator. At the top of the stairs, do standing leg lifts (side, back) & calf raises.
- Walk briskly everywhere.
- Do 10 squats each time you go to the bathroom.
- Do 10 tricep dips off your desk or chair when you return from going somewhere.
- If you don't pack a lunch, walk to a restaurant & take the longest route you can without returning late.
- Workout on your lunch break if you have enough time (my favorite).
- Can't do a HIIT workout at lunch? Go for a walk &/or climb stairs. I did that when I was a student & kept in shape, and my classmate lost 40 pounds! Our routine was 3-4 rounds of 11 floors of stairs M/W/F, walk 1-2 miles around the hospital T/Th. We did that in 30 minutes each day, so had enough time to eat.
- Focus on engaging your core (transverse abs) as much as possible throughout the day.