Fitness Advice - Four Ways to Fit More Fitness in Your Schedule

Fitness Advice

Four Ways to Fit More Fitness in Your Schedule

Life moves at the speed of light and everyone’s schedules seem to be crammed full. When you have too much going on, is it even possible to fit exercise into the day? Fortunately exercise doesn’t have to be a formal one-hour event and there are dozens of ways to squeeze more fitness into your life. Here are four of the best ways to incorporate more exercise into your day-to-day life.

Fitness At Work

Exercise and work may not seem to go together but more employers are encouraging their workers to get healthy. Some companies even incorporate fitness breaks into the workday to accommodate busy schedules. But what if your company isn’t one of these fitness-friendly guys? There are many ways you can squeeze exercise in at the office without anyone even knowing! One of the most frequently mentioned methods is taking the stairs over the elevators. That’s great, but let’s take the idea a little further and try to walk around as much as possible. Walk over to a co-worker’s desk rather than sending an email or instant message, and instead of using the bathroom on your floor, go to one a few stories up – and take the stairs. Other ideas include practicing Pilates moves right at your desk and doing simple stretches either in your office or in the bathroom. If you look for opportunities to exercise, they’ll start to jump out at you everywhere.

Fitness At Home

Great, you’re home – working out is so much easier now, right? Wrong! Home requires just as much attention and responsibility as work, as well as being mom or dad at the same time. An easy way to add fitness at home is to involve the whole family. Kids don’t view exercise as work and it can be a special time to share with your child that you wouldn’t have otherwise. Have the family take a walk before or after dinner or organize a family-wide game of tag in the backyard. Other ideas for home fitness include turning housework into aerobic exercise. Get that vacuum cleaner going and use your arm, back, and core muscles to propel it back and forth. Load the dishwasher and maintain proper posture as you bend and straighten, keeping your abdominal muscles tight. Sweep the driveway as fast as you can for a quick aerobic blast!

Fitness Out and About

Incorporating fitness moves into your errands may seem strange but once you get used to the idea, you’ll wonder why you never thought of using the checkout line at the grocery store as a workout zone! When you’re standing in any kind of line, contract your buttocks for a count of 15 and then release. This helps strengthen the muscle and can also keep you from losing your cool when the customer in front of you needs three price checks. Another good move is to stand on your tiptoes for a count of 10 and then drop back. This helps strengthen calf muscles. Pushing a loaded grocery cart also qualifies as aerobic effort! When you’re sitting in traffic, seize the moment to do some arm exercises and stretching moves while you wait. You may get a few funny looks but at least your blood pressure isn’t boiling over.

Fitness Spur of the Moment

If you’re having one of those lazy days or are just simply bored, use your time to visit a local park and do some speed-walking. If the weather is uncooperative, go to your local mall and walk briskly around all levels at least twice. Some malls offer reward programs that allow you to earn points for walking at the mall, which can then be redeemed for gift certificates or coupons. That’s not too bad for a random decision to go walking at the mall! There are literally hundreds of options for random fitness jaunts, so take the time to look around your area and figure out where you want to go for your next spur of the moment fitness trip!

Fitness Advice

Fitness Advice

Fitness Advice

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Fitness Advice

Fitness Advice - advice for the Couch Potato

Fitness Advice

Aerobic Exercise for the Couch Potato

If the thought of bouncing around a gym or workout center in spandex makes you cringe, take heart. Experts in aerobic exercise say that you can reap the benefits of an aerobic workout without getting up off your butt.

Chair aerobics are designed to give those with mobility problems a good cardio workout without putting strain on the joints and bones. A chair aerobics session may include kicks, punches and stretches, and often includes the use of workout bands and weights to increase strength and resistance training as the workouts get more intense.

Sitting down to exercise may sound silly – but the workouts are real and so are the benefits for your cardiovascular system – and the rest of your body. There are chair workouts designed for just about everyone – including inconspicuous workouts for those in offices who don’t want to attract a lot of attention. Generally, a chair aerobics workout starts with ten minutes of stretching and warming up, then moves into an aerobics phase that may include punching the air and doing scissor kicks in your chair before moving into a series of weight lifting and finally into a cool down phase.

Mary Ann Wilson, whose television fitness show “Sit and Be Fit” airs on PBS stations across the country, says, “Our purpose is to keep people functionally fit as long as possible.” To help do this, Wilson leads 30 and 60 minute aerobics workout programs aimed at those who may be mobility impaired. She focuses her workouts on movements that support and strengthen muscles needed for everyday functional movements, including posture control, stretches for flexibility and light weight lifting to build and maintain strength in muscles and joints.
Wilson has been producing her show since 1987, and she attributes its popularity to the fact that chair aerobics is easy, convenient and inexpensive. There’s no expensive equipment needed – soup cans or filled cups work just fine as weights. Couch potatoes don’t need to leave home, and seniors don’t have to worry about losing their balance and falling.

For an easy workout, you can try some simple stretches and punches. Sitting in a comfortable, stable chair, pump your arms in the air overhead five times each, then five times together. Next, punch across your body, alternating arms to the count of twenty. Get your lower body into the action with some toe-tapping and heel lifts, then add in two to three minutes of seated ‘jogging’ – just lift your feet and cycle in your chair. Altogether, the workout takes about ten minutes. Do it two to three times a day and you’ll be hitting the recommended 30 minutes of activity without ever getting off your bottom.

Chair aerobics appeals to those who have limited mobility, or who have been told that weight bearing and high impact aerobics are out of the question because of arthritis or other joint problems. Motions as simple as neck rolls can be good for your heart, say one fitness instructor. For those who want a tougher workout, there’s an office chair workout that includes pushing and pulling yourself away from the desk and doing leg lifts while seated in your chair.

What are the benefits? Better heart function, lower blood pressure, increased circulation and heightened alertness, say the experts. Exercise doesn’t have to mean going out and jogging or working out at the gym. The whole idea is to get your body moving and your heart pumping – and chair aerobics does that as well as anything else. It’s the perfect solution if you can’t leave your desk or if you work at home and can’t get to the gym. It’s also an excellent solution for older people who may not be as mobile as they once were, but who can benefit from regular exercise.

Teresa Reyman, who teaches a class in chair aerobics at a Maryland senior center, offers these tips for seniors who exercise.

• Pay attention to posture, whether you’re sitting or standing. Proper posture helps prevent osteoporosis by keeping muscles and joints strong enough to support the bones.
• Exercise with a group. It’s more fun, so you’re more likely to stick with it, and the social benefits are important for senior citizens.
• Make exercise a lifestyle change. Find an activity that you like and stick with it. It’s the best thing you can do to improve your health and your quality of life.

Fitness Advice

Fitness Advice

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Fitness Advice