Too many people make the excuse that they don’t have time to exercise. Busy lives, jobs, family obligations, etc. all make valid excuses for not spending hour after hour at the gym. They are not, however, valid excuses for not exercising. If you have time to take a shower or brush your teeth or cook a meal, you have time to exercise.
Recent research has shown that just cutting down sitting time and television viewing time can increase the life expectancy by 1 to 2 years. (Lee, 2012) Replacing that down time with time on the treadmill or other exercise machine can be even more beneficial because it will increase energy expenditure and decrease cardiovascular disease risk. If you don’t have access to gym equipment, spend that television time bouncing on a stability ball (make sure it is burst resistant) or dancing in your living room or take your family for an evening walk together.
Muscular strength and endurance exercise can be as simple as standing leg lifts, lunges, squats, etc. while you are doing your normal daily activities, like brushing your teeth. Push-ups or dips can be done against the kitchen counter while you are waiting to stir your food. While washing your hair in the shower, you can easily sneak in a few standing crunches or side crunches. Even little exercises added in here and there throughout your day can add up to substantial calories burned.
Just in case you are still unsure of what to do in order to squeeze in some exercise to your busy day, here are a few quick routines of only 150 reps each that can be done in less than 5 minutes while doing your normal daily activities. Just be sure that when you have more time, you swing by the gym and get some cardio, too.
Shower Time Stomach
25 Standing Crunches
25 Standing Side Crunches (Each Side)
25 Hip Circles (Each Direction)
25 Standing Pelvic Tilts
Tooth Brushing Tushy
25 Side Leg Lifts (Each Side)
25 Glute Lifts (Each Side)
25 Squats
25 Plié Squats
Baked Upper Body
25 Counter Push-Ups
25 Frying Pan Flys
25 Bent-Over Rows
25 Counter Dips
25 Casserole Curls
25 Lateral Raises
Bibliography
Lee, D. P.-M. (2012). Sedentary behaviour and life expectancy in the USA: a cause-deleted life table analysis. BMJ Open. Retrieved from http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/2/4/e000828.long
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