Exercise Hacks for Every Day

Exercise Hacks for Every Day

When life gets busy, we often struggle to find an hour (or even a half-hour) to engage in physical exercise.

We find ourselves saying things like:

• I don’t have time.
• I’m too tired.
• I’m not feeling motivated.
• It’s raining / too hot / too cold!
• I just can’t be bothered to go to the gym.

This is perfectly normal and okay to feel this way because burpees really do suck! But you shouldn’t neglect to move your body altogether, and there are some very good reasons why.

Move it or Lose it! 

Physical activity is not just good for our body, but our mind and soul as well

A minimum of 30 minutes a day can improve your quality of life through incredible benefits such as:

• Reducing the risk of a heart attack;
• Managing or losing weight;
• Lowering cholesterol levels;
• Strengthening our bones, muscles, and joints (and therefore reducing our risk of developing osteoporosis);
• Decreasing the risk of type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and some common cancers;
• Reducing the risk of falls;
• Boosting our immune system.

But wait, there’s more …

• Boosting our energy levels;
• Promoting better mood through that rush of endorphins;
• Increasing self-confidence;
• Enabling us to relax and de-stress
• Relieving symptoms of mild depression and anxiety
• Improving sleep quality

With such amazing benefits, it really is worth incorporating more exercise into your day – even if there’s no time for an intense workout, here are five ways to boost your activity levels!!

Incidental Exercise 101

You will be pleased to know that incidental exercise doesn’t consist of you doing a F45 class or going for a run in the scorching heat! Instead, it is simply about doing any small form of movement that builds up throughout the day, resulting in an increased level of daily activity.

By consciously including more physical movement in our day, we can become fit women and men regardless of our age, shape, size, and abilities. Here are some ways you can trick yourself into exercising, virtually without realising it!

1. Walk to get your morning coffee. 

Walking is a fantastic way to start your day! This can be the perfect time to collect your thoughts about the day ahead and kickstart your energy levels. And by rewarding yourself with a coffee, will give you that little bit of extra motivation you’ve been searching for!

2. Make exercise a social activity.

Next time you’re planning to catch up with your friends or family, why not suggest going for a walk along the river, a hike up a mountain, a bike ride, or any other activity that gets your body moving. The best thing about this is you’ll be so busy socialising you’ll barely notice that you’re exercising!

3. Take the stairs.

We’ve all heard this time and time again … but that’s because it’s 100% true! Taking the stairs rather than an elevator or escalator gets the heart pumping and improves muscle strength. FUN FACT: walking upstairs burns more calories than jogging!

4. Set a stand-up reminder.

When we’re sitting at a desk all day or working from home, it’s easy to get in the habit of sitting down for hours at a time, without standing up once. Most fitness trackers such as an Apple Watch or Fitbit allow you to set a stand-up reminder. This is an easy way to get in some extra steps every hour or so.

5. Do housework.

This is perhaps the simplest yet most productive way to fit incidental exercise into a busy schedule (and the bonus is a clean house!). Doing chores such as vacuuming, washing windows, and mowing the lawn is a great way to get your body moving.

By making a point of seizing every opportunity in your day for incidental exercise, you can get fit without taking up permanent residence at the gym!