First of all, we don’t believe the excuse “I don’t have time to exercise”! What that statement is really saying is “I’m not making exercise a priority”. You shouldn’t need to wake up super early (because sleep is very important for both weight loss and recovery), or ignore your other responsibilities in order to make working out a priority, but rather just look to all of the short term and long term benefits for sustained motivation.
For those of us looking to add to an exercise routine, there are simple ways to find more time to exercise while doing the things we already do every day.
- Walking your Dog with Lunges – while walking your dog try doing lunges in intervals. Do sets of 20 or as many as you can to start and then walk it off in between sets.
- Waiting for Food to Cook with Wall Sits – during the time it takes for your food to cook to perfection, take a moment to do some wall sits and work your butt, core, and thighs.
- Talking on the Phone and Pacing the Room – Get some mobile friendly headphones or a Bluetooth earpiece and pace the room while you chat. You’ll burn extra calories and hardly notice the extra effort.
- Planking in the Office – Set an alarm every hour or 90 minutes to remind you to plank. You can do this under your desk, in your cube, or even in the hallway. This will get your blood pumping and increase your productivity. Invite people in to join you every now and then for a plank off!
- Brushing your Teeth with Calf Raises – Work on your summer legs while brushing those pearly whites with sets of calf raises.