Too busy to fit exercise into your weekly regime? Have a look at our top tips below on how to ensure fitness is part of your daily routine:
Fitting exercise into a busy schedule:
- Use the stairs instead of the escalator/lift. Stair climbing burns more calories per minute than jogging and is great for strong bones, cardiovascular fitness and weight management. It is a safe, low impact exercise.
- Walk or bike to work/school
- Get off the bus 1 stop earlier than usual for extra steps
- Park further away from the shops/supermarket/work
- Go for a walk at lunch times rather than eating at your desk
- Increase the intensity of house work, for example, gardening, vacuuming, cleaning. (Turn up the music to help!)
- Research from 2016 found that 10-minute intense workouts, three times a week, can be as effective as longer-duration workouts. Therefore, if you don’t have much spare time, try fitting in a shorter more intense workout into your routine.
- Add exercises into your daily routine, for example, squats/walking around whilst brushing your teeth or push-ups whilst waiting for food to cook or for the kettle to boil
- Add in sit-ups, press -ups or steps in between intervals of your favourite TV programmes
- Try to get up earlier and fit in a half an hour walk or 20min jog before work
- Use weekend activities to include exercise, for example, bike ride, country walk, swimming.
- Walk around whilst on long phone calls rather than sitting at your desk
- If you don’t have time to drive to the gym, do an exercise DVD or work out in the garden to save time, for example, skipping. A few minutes of skipping provides a range of health benefits, including heart and lung fitness, strong bones, balance and flexibility.
Make it Fun and social:
- Pedometers and fitness trackers are great support tools, increasing motivation, especially when competing with friends and allowing you to track your progress.
- Having an exercise partner provides extra motivation and commitment as you are less likely to let someone else down.
- Combine family/friend time with exercise. Go to different parks/forest walks, bike rides instead of fitting exercise on top.
- Walking/running with a family dog.
- Check if you have a Park Run in your local area or outdoor exercise classes to save driving to a gym.
- Dancing with your partner or friends on evenings out.
- Swap sitting on the sofa for an evening walk with friends.
- Try a new class with a friend, this makes a daunting new fitness challenge easier.
Regardless of age or fitness levels, making more time for exercise provides so many health benefits, not only for keeping bones strong, strengthening muscles and weight management but it also reduces stress, boosts happy endorphins, improves self-confidence and enhances mood, sleep and immune function.
