It’s hard to stay active when your schedule doesn’t give you much room for negotiation – don’t feel ashamed! In fact, most people report that they struggle to find time for working out and exercising while they juggle full-time jobs, errands, families and other time-consuming activities.
Health recommendations advise that exercising with a moderate intensity for a minimum of 150 minutes per week will give you the best health benefits, but for many of us, time is the biggest hurdle! Fortunately, recent studies have shown that incorporating even a little bit of physical, sporadic activity into our days can improve our health when compared to staying sedentary.
So, when your agenda starts to fill up, don’t make this an excuse to GIVE up. Sneaking in the time to exercise is possible if you’re strategic, motivated and willing to prioritize!
Stay Active With the “Little” Things
As insignificant as they may seem, small bursts of activity throughout your day can make big changes to your health! Consider adjusting your daily routine to include some or all of the following tips, and those little things might just add up.
- Clean or vacuum your entire home frequently
- Use a shared printer further away from your office
- Park your car further away
- Carry a hand basket instead of using a cart at the store
- Take the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator
- Skip the drive thru – walk into the business
- Move on your lunch hour – pack some comfortable shoes and venture out
- Walk your dog
- Stretch when you wake up in the morning
Intensity is Everything!
However you choose to stay active each day, remember this: increasing the intensity of your activity will always yield better results.
How can you pick up the intensity?
- Split your workout into two sessions – You’ll burn more calories as your body recovers and then gets active again.
- Pick up the pace – Simply speeding up your workout while spending the same amount of time on it as you normally would will burn more calories and get your blood pumping faster. This is a great option for when you’re running low on time!
- Exercise on an incline – You’ll build more muscle, burn more calories and achieve higher cardio-respiratory levels.
The conclusion? Staying active in any way, be it a small change to your routine or an hour-long workout at the gym, will benefit your health and make some kind of impact on your body. And, when you can manage it, adding intensity to your activity will allow your to reap even greater rewards!
Always remember, though, that physical activity is just one part of the equation – there are lots of different factors involved in your health! For tips on staying healthy as you’re out and about, click here.
Want More Information About Staying Active on the Go?
You can read the full article from Your Weight Matters Magazine by clicking here!
How do you stay active when your schedule is packed with time-consuming tasks? We want to hear! Share with us in the comments below, and maybe you’ll motivate someone else!
