More people than ever are juggling jobs, businesses, families and other commitments and trying to do it all. One thing that often gets forgotten about is exercise. However, if you want to be successful and happy, looking after yourself is exceptionally important and regular exercise is a big part of this. Regular exercise can help you to feel alert and confident, cut your risks of developing long term health conditions, reduce your stress levels, and help you to fight off coughs, colds, and other minor ailments. But, how are you meant to fit regular exercise into your day when you already feel like there aren’t enough hours to do everything on your to-do list? Here are some great tips to help you do just that.
Stretch
Doing some simple stretches when you first get out of bed in the morning can help to wake you up, boost your circulation, make you feel more alert, and help to stretch out and lengthen your muscles. Start from your feet and slowly work up, stretching every part of your body for a few seconds. If you?re not a morning person, you could find this dramatically improves your morning mood.
Exercise Early
When you’ve done your stretches, you will be more likely to want to do more exercise. And this is the perfect time to do it. Going out for an early morning run, swim, or doing an online video first thing in the morning means you don’t have to worry about fitting exercise in later when you are more likely to make an excuse and put it off. Many people find that starting the day in this way helps them to feel happy, confident, and pleased with themselves for the rest of the day.
Make Your Commute Count
You’ve got to get to work or school, so make it count. Instead of driving or getting the bus, run, walk, or cycle, especially if you can have a shower when you get there. If your commute is too long for this, at least park a little further away.
Go for a Lunch Time Walk
Spending your lunch hour sitting at your desk, waiting to go back to work, can lead to you feeling depressed, stiff, and stressed out. It could even cause you to over-eat. Instead, go out for a gentle walk, which will help you to clear your head and relax while also adding activity to your day.
Stick to a Schedule
When you are busy, it’s so easy to make excuses and put exercise off. The longer you put it off, the harder it will be to get back into the habit as you gain weight and your fitness levels drop. So, set yourself a schedule, write it down, and stick to it. Include stretches every morning, a workout three days a week, and walking every day for the best results.
Once you get into a routine, you’ll find it becomes easy to fit exercise in and that it’s just a normal part of your day. Remember to make the most of the time you do have by pushing yourself, but also that any extra movement counts and will help to improve your fitness levels; even fidgeting behind your desk.
