by Maya Vokes-Didier

Created on: July 05, 2010   Last Updated: January 30, 2011

Obesity continues to rise among American adults. We all know that poor diet and inactivity are considered to be the main causes of this epidemic, but the fact is that only three in ten adults in our country get the recommended amount of physical activity. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, healthy adults need at least 30 minutes of physical activity on five or more days a week to be fit. Yet how many of us are actually able to incorporate that into our daily schedule?

Time is of an essence for many of us. Right from the start of the day when the alarm rings, we are on a race. By the end of the day, it often dawns upon us that we have hardly had any ‘me time’, time to pamper ourselves or to look after our body. In this jet-set age, what are some of the tips that you can follow to get the recommended 30 minutes of exercise every day? Here are some easy-to-incorporate tips that will not compromise on your other commitments during the day.

1. It is a weekday and you are running late yet again and are just about to make it to the early morning meeting at work. What you might be inclined to do under these circumstances is to park the car and make a dash for the door.

Considering that meetings usually never start on the dot of time, and that some grace minutes are given to a couple of latecomers, there is really no need for you to run. Walk briskly to the entrance, take the lift if you must, but leave the last flight of stairs as a treat to your legs. Climb! Your shortness of breath will send the blood flow to your face and you will enter the meeting room glowing!

2. Some of you might find that you would rather give the gym routine a good two hours. Anything less would really not worth the trouble, you may deduce. Quite to the contrary. You can actually benefit more from ‘interval training’ for 20 minutes than a 45 slow jog on the treadmill. So 20-minute interval training, followed by ten minutes of floor exercises to stretch and cool down is more than enough to give you the workout of the day, if you are short on time.

3. In the kitchen, while you wait for the water to boil, or for the stew to cook as it simmers, use that time by throwing open any kitchen windows, lift a pair of dumbbells and put that time to good use. Get a quick set or two of 12 reps each of shoulder extension, hammer curls, squats or lunges. Alternatively, install an ‘over door exercise pulley system’ on your kitchen door. Follow up with good

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>