A one, and a two, and a three, and a floor. If work, family, and life responsibilities have you feeling like blinking your eyes counts as exercise, then you are in the right place. We get it. A packed schedule and too many to do’s can sometimes make it nearly impossible to move your body to anyplace beyond your bed. When you’re short on time, it’s all about cueing in the creativity to incorporate effective exercises into your everyday schedule. Check out these 5 ways to exercise when you don’t have time. They are sure to get your heart pumping, your energy flowing, and your spirit glowing!
Bathroom Break Booty Boosters
Make a pact with yourself that every time you use the bathroom you do a set of 25 squats or lunges. Don’t forget to stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water, which means frequent trips to the bathroom… which means you’ll have a more toned tushy in no time!
Commercial Calisthenics – 5 Ways to Exercise When You Don’t Have Time
You can have your “Netflix and Chill” and exercise too. Whether you are watching a program on T.V. or a streaming a series, make good use out of the commercial breaks or pauses between episodes to do at least 1 minute of calisthenics. Some great at home exercises: pushups, planks, burpees, jumping jacks, sit ups, tricep dips, squats, lunges, jump squats, wall sits, step ups (on a chair), and calf raises.
Lunchtime Legs
During your daily lunch break, sneak in a quick 10-minute leg work out before you head back into the office. You don’t need any fancy equipment to get an effective pump! Just follow this simple circuit until your 10 minutes is up: 20 squats, 20 lunges (10 per side), 20 sumo squats, 20 calf raises, 40 leg raises (20 per side).
Be a Stair Master – 5 Ways to Exercise When You Don’t Have Time
Always, always, always take the stairs. It’s as easy as that! Taking the stairs works out your quadriceps, calves, hip flexors, gluteal muscles, and hamstrings.
Sleepy Time Stretching
Wind down from your day and get ready for a cozy night of sleep by giving your body some TLC with bed yoga (yes, it’s a thing!). Whether you are looking for a brief 5-minute routine or a longer series, a quick search of the internet will give you a variety of videos to choose from. Simply type “Bed Yoga” into the search bar.
Is working out for only a few minutes’ worth it? Our philosophy is that something is always better than nothing when it comes to exercise and moving your body. Still not convinced. Here are some quick facts about the benefits of what “just a little” exercise can do (or the lack of it):
- Five minutes of movement every hour can end up burning an additional 1,000 calories a week!
- Inactivity and sitting for long period of time has been shown to drain brain power and creativity. Set an alarm to stand up and move around for at least 2 minutes every half hour.
- Exercising reduces your risk of a whole host of diseases such as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and dementia.
Your health is worth it. Your happiness is worth it. YOU are worth it. Now go on and get moving!