As a college student I had the time and resources to hit the gym daily (in addition to weekly dance classes and rehearsals). Maintaining an active lifestyle was a no brainer. As a post-college adult, in the real world of maintaing a work/life balance, I have found that fitting exercise into my daily life can sometimes be quite difficult. In an ideal world I would have the time, energy, and motivation to:
- Get up at 5am and go to the gym for an hour--done with exercise before the day even begins
- Take an actual lunch break (instead of eating while I work) and go for a 30 minute walk
- Attend yoga class twice a week
- Go to dance class a few times per month
Sadly I do not live in an ideal world--I barely have the energy to get my butt out of bed after hitting the snooze button 3 times. And I have a sneaky suspicion that a lot of you do not live in an ideal world either. Laziness, work, and life just get in the way.
Sure, I have a handful of friends who are exercise fiends: cross-fit competitors, yoga-instructors-in-training, spin class enthusiasts, and hot yoga gurus. Hats off to you all for making exercise a non-negotiable part of your day. Seriously. And I know that my city friends pride themselves in the amount of time they spend walking every day. I am earnestly jealous that you all have jobs to which you can walk, rather than spending 45 minutes commuting (one way) to work (not that I'm complaining or anything...). However, I know that there are at least a few readers out there who struggle with the same exercise commitment issues that I face. It is for those people that I write this post.
I can think of 50 excuses as to why I cannot fit exercising into my daily routine, but I know that these excuses are null and void since exercise is such a key component to living a healthy lifestyle. So, over the course of the past few months I have made small adjustments to the way I go about my day, in order to be a bit more active and stay in-tune with my body. Here are some recommendations:
- Trade your desk chair for a exercise ball. Caution: this is not for everyone! Though sitting on an exercise ball helps improve your posture and strengthen your core, you may find it uncomfortable to sit on a ball all day, while simultaneously trying to maintain your balance and work. Try keeping both a ball and chair by your desk. Sit on the ball for 30 minutes, then switch to a chair for an hour. Repeat. It took some time to get used to the feeling of always sitting with my back straight (and abs activated), but eventually I got used to it. Test it out and find an exercise ball routine that fits your body.
- Stand while you work. At first it seemed odd to have my laptop on such a tall desk, but I immediately found that I am much more attentive and energetic when I stand and work on my computer. I wiggle around, sometimes stand in "tree pose", and even do a little dance as I type (my office mate finds this quite amusing). But beware: if you normally eat at your desk, you may find yourself eating while you stand (guilty). My next goal is to actually take a lunch break and sit while I eat. Baby steps...
- Take a 15 minute walk outside. Now that the weather is getting warmer I find myself frequently gazing into the sunshine and longing to be outside. My skin needs vitamin D! I've started taking a 10-15 minute break at least once a day, to get outside and be active. And I can walk about one mile during that time...not too shabby. Next step is to get into the habit of taking two daily breaks.
- Sign up for an event. There are organized walks and runs all over the country, especially in major cities. I'm not encouraging you to sign up for the Boston Marathon--an unrealistic goal yields poor results. You'll shortly flake out from doing the event at all. But signing up for something like a 5k (walk or run!) may be just the motivation you need to do a little bit of training. Bonus points if the event is for a charitable cause! This year my mom and I are going to walk in the Susan G. Komen 3Day walk--3 days, 20 miles per day, 60 miles total. You can be certain that I found some motivation to start training for that!
- Set a weekly goal. Training schedules are tough to stick to. With such a capricious work schedule, I cannot do the exact type of exercise on the specific day listed in a training schedule. Instead, I have weekly goals. In training for the 3Day Walk, I have a set number of miles walked and cross trainings completed for the week. I can work on the goals whenever my schedule permits.
- Buy a yoga mat. Having a yoga mat means that even on cold, rainy days you have no excuse for sitting on your bum at home. Follow an online instructional yoga video (this is my favorite site). Do some self-taught yoga on your own. Spend 10-15 minutes stretching right when you wake up or right before you go to bed. Tone your abs. A yoga mat makes exercise an easy at-home activity.
- Take a weekend bike ride. Okay, so I haven't actually done this yet. In truth I am scared sh!tless about riding in a city. However, there are some very nice bike trails nearby and Boston's Hubway program means I don't have to buy my own bike. My goal for the summer is to find my inner child and go for an aimless bike ride with Brendan.
- Have a dance party at home. Who needs a club or a dance studio? Whether you're doing laundry, making dinner, or need to let off some steam from a bad day at work, turn on your 'party' playlist and shake it! Brendan and I have had numerous spontaneous dance parties while waiting for something to finish cooking in the oven. It may not be a typical "exercise", but dancing certainly gets your blood pumping and body moving.
Obviously if you are trying to lose weight or train for something like a marathon, then you'll need to hit the gym more regularly. But if you are looking for a way to add a bit more activity to your life, in addition to or as a supplement for the gym, then these few tips will keep you movin' right along!
Do you have any tips for adding some wiggle and jiggle to your life?
