by Lou Belcher

Created on: March 27, 2009

Easy ways to incorporate exercise throughout the day.

Many people feel they don't have time to exercise. They feel they can't spare the time it takes to go to the gym, change clothes, shower after the workout, and then go on to the next thing in their schedule. Also, others feel they can't spare the money to join a gym. You don't have to become a member of a gym in order to get the exercise you need to maintain your health or to lose weight. There are many ways you can incorporate exercise throughout your daily routine. Here are some of them:

1. Assess your daily schedule. Is there a way you can work in a half hour here or there of exercise? Exercise doesn't have to involve weights, sweat bands, and fancy equipment. If you can find a half hour a day to walk, you've done it. That's your aerobic exercise for the day. In addition, do a little weight lifting a couple times per week and you'll have your bases covered. Weight lifting doesn't need to involve a set of weights. You can fill a couple of empty milk jugs with kitty litter to a level that provides a good weight for you. Or you can use a couple of cans of soup. Be inventive and you'll find ways to incorporate exercise into your daily routine.

2. If walking for half an hour per day is not feasible with your schedule, work it into your work schedule. For example, once an hour get up from your desk and walk to the bathroom and back or walk to the mailbox. The main problems most people have stem from sitting too much. We ride in the car to work, we sit at the desk until lunch, and then we sit at the desk until after lunch. When we arrive at work in the morning, we park the car as close to the building as possible. When we arrive home at night, we do the same. What would happen if you parked at the far end of the parking lot at work? It might add a couple minutes of time to your walk into the office, but that short walk will be added movement and that's what's called exercise.

3. Do you watch TV at night? Is there any reason you can't stand up during each commercial and walk in place? Imagine how many steps that would be at the end of the evening. Or can you walk to the bathroom and back during each commercial. Be inventive and there are ways to incorporate exercise throughout the daily routine.

4. Cleaning the house is a perfect time to exercise. Instead of taking your time, vacuum with gusto. Dusting, cleaning the tub, and washing the floors are all great opportunities to exercise. Maybe for once you'll put some enerby behine your cleaning and have the cleanest house in town.

The best way to incorporate exercise throughout your day is to think of exercise as movement. You don't need special clothes or a special time to do it. You merely need to remember to move rather than sit. Just by increasing the amount of movement instead of remaining sedentary, you'll have found the easiest way of all to incorporate exercise throughout the day.

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