Simple Ways to Fit in a Workout

Posted: Jul 17 in Weight Management Strategies by Dr. Lazarus

When you’ve got a lot going on, reasons to skip your workout can fly at you from every direction. For a lot of people, the desire to exercise is hampered down by very legitimate time concerns. There are carpools, there are meetings and there are mouths at home that have to be fed. Obligations like these can quickly turn into weight loss obstacles if you let them.

But fitness isn’t limited to the gym, and there are plenty of ways you can fit in a quality workout without spending an entire hour working out.

Here are four simple ways that you can fit more exercise into your schedule now:

1. Wake up 20 minutes earlier: Waking up an hour earlier might be difficult to pull off, but what about twenty minutes? Set your alarm for 20 minutes earlier than you normally wake up and start working out right in your own bedroom. You can use hand weights, an exercise ball or even try doing push-ups or jumping jacks to get a brief am working in.
2. Take a walking lunch break: Spend 10 minutes of your lunch break walking. Try heading outside to get a little sunshine as you walk, or spend 10 minutes wandering up and down the stairs in your office building.
3. Multitask: Talking on a cellphone is usually frowned upon at the gym, but no-one can stop you from working. You can watch presentations, listen in on a conference call or even review spreadsheets while walking on a treadmill. You can also take your time at the gym as a chance to catch up on your favorite TV shows or listen to audiobooks, especially while using the cardio equipment.
4. Wear a pedometer: This will help you keep track of how many steps you are taking every day. Challenge yourself to walk more every day than you did before, and find new ways to take more steps. If you can, try taking care of basic errands on foot. If you don’t have access to the stores you need by your home, go somewhere that you can park your car once and walk store to store.

Consider ways that fitness can become more integrated into your lifestyle. Chances are there are areas of your life that could stand to involve a bit more activity. Even if you don’t have a lot of time every day, you can incorporate exercise in smaller doses throughout your day to burn more calories as you try to lose weight.