It’s another week of looming deadlines and the calendar’s chock full of to-do items, which means getting to the gym might not be high on the priority list for yet another seven days. If you want to stay in shape, you do have some options outside of the usual gym circuit. A few tweaks to your morning routine, and modifying your daily activities ever so slightly, might just be all you need to keep that metabolism revved up and keep you in shape.
Start things off with a power walk in the early morning. As soon as you get up, throw on your workout gear and head outside for a brisk 15 to 20 minute walk around the block. This will get your blood circulation going and help you enjoy some fresh air before your all-day-indoors agenda the rest of the day. Walking is a great aerobic activity that will keep your heart strong, and give your total body a much-needed workout. Don’t forget to stretch before and after the session to avoid injury and pain.
Your next get-fit opportunity rolls around at lunch hour. Instead of brown-bagging it in the company cafeteria, you can eat your lunch on a picnic table outside, then take a brief walk around the building or up and down some of the large hallways around the office. Anything physical will do; climb up a few sets of stairs, give your calf muscles a good stretch outside, and just re-energize your muscles after those back-to-back meetings.
When you finally make it back home, get into the habit of doing a brief 10 to 20 minute yoga routine to elongate and flex all of those muscles that didn’t experience the joy of movement as you hunched over your desk all day. Yoga and deep breathing exercises will let the oxygen flow throughout your body, and will help you feel lighter and limber. You can do these right before dinner to give your metabolism a boost before the meal ahead.
Getting and staying in shape doesn’t require a commitment to the body-pump workouts at the gym, or even going to the fitness center. Plan your day around some simple exercises so you can keep your body in great shape whether you’re hitting the gym, or not!
