In a perfect world, we’d all have the time to hit the gym hard for an hour or more each day. Unfortunately, life tends to throw other priorities on our plate: school-, work-, and family-related obligations can make finding the time for daily exercise seem next to impossible. However, no matter how busy your life may be, there are always some small yet effective steps you can take to incorporate more exercise into your daily life.
Resolve to Get Up Earlier
If you’re like most people, you like to sleep in as much as possible. However, getting up an hour or even a half hour earlier each day could give you the time you need to get your heart and blood pumping with some cardiovascular exercise. Working out first-thing in the morning is great not only for getting your metabolism going, but for avoiding excuses to not workout later on. If you have a hard time getting up in the mornings, consider sleeping in your workout clothes to give you that extra boost of motivation when the alarm clock rings.
Take Advantage of Breaks
Even on days when you can’t quite make it to the gym, there are opportunities for exercise throughout the day. Consider, for example, using the last 10 minutes of your lunch break at work to go for a walk around the building (or even outside, if the weather is nice enough). If you work from home, make the switch to a standing desk to burn more calories and improve your posture while you work. There are even under-desk ellipticals and bike pedals to help you burn more calories and get your heart rate up while you work at your desk.
Get Active Around the House
Finally, take advantage of opportunities to get active around the house. From taking your dog for a nightly walk to playing with your kids in the backyard, it’s important to remember that exercise should be fun and doesn’t have to mean spending an hour on the elliptical or treadmill.
A little bit of exercise each day can really add up and do wonders for your health. It’s just a matter of taking advantage of opportunities as they arise and resolving to live a more active lifestyle!
