How to Make Fitness Easy Everyday

xperts recommend working out 45 minutes or more for weight loss and fitness. But if you’re like most people, you don’t always have a block of 30 to 60 minutes a day to devote exclusively to doing your workouts.

You can still exercise–you just need to sneak in activities in resourceful ways. The idea is to keep moving. If you find that talking to a fitness pal is best for you while you exercise, use your cell phone to keep in touch with your fitness buddy. Is high intensity music a motivator for you? Grab your iPod and turn it up! Find whatever works for you and just move. Park half a mile from the mall and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Those little, itty-bitty things add up.

Every Stolen Moment Adds Upr
In a landmark study conducted at the University of Virginia,exercise physiologist Glenn Gaesser, PhD, asked men and women to complete fifteen 10-minute exercise routines a week. After just 21 days, the volunteers’ aerobic fitness was equal to that of people 10 to 15 years younger. Their strength,muscular endurance, and flexibility were equal to those of people up to 20 years their junior.

In yet another study, researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore found that for improving health and fitness in inactive adults, many short bursts of activity are as effective as longer, structured workouts. “It would be useful for people to get out of the all-or-nothing mind-set that unless they exercise for 30 minutes, they’re wasting their time,” says Gaesser.

While not a replacement for a regular fitness routine, breaking exercise into small chunks on your over scheduled days is a great way to get the ball rolling towards making major lifestyle changes and also can also keep your confidence up. Skipping exercise altogether is ‘de-motivational’–you feel depressed and guilty. If you skip it, you tend to figure, ‘What’s the use? I can’t keep up with it anyway.’ Yet as long as you make some effort each day, that motivates you onward. Success breeds success.”

Keep in mind, though, that short bursts of exercise are meant to supplement, not replace, your regular fitness routine. Here’s a roundup of practical ways to work exercise into your day even when you “don’t have time to exercise.” You don’t have to do them all in one day; select what works for you.

Travel with a jump rope in your car – this oldie but almighty goodie is a great way to burn extra calories quickly and takes up virtually zero space. Start with jumping as long as you can until you break the pattern. Rest for 30 seconds to 1 minute and repeat. 20 minutes of this routine can easily bu
200 calories if you give it full effort.

Use your boss as your accountability coach – Find an enjoyable route near your work and map the distance out in your car. Walk or run the course during lunch hour and tally your total elapsed time. Then try to reduce the total time its takes to complete the pre-determined distance by 5 seconds each day. If the boss is waiting for your return; you are likely to put a little extra hop in your step.

Play with your kids – if you watch little kids at play; you will notice they are always moving. Jumping, running, hopping, dancing and smiling are part of their regular activities. This is natural movement at its best. Turn your family time into a calorie burning experience by mimicking and getting active with your family at playtime.