Sad but true: most Australians aren’t getting enough exercise, and one of the biggest reasons people don’t exercise regularly is a lack of one of life’s most precious resources: time. Many of us live sedentary lifestyles, spending our days sitting down in front of desks, and struggle to find bubbles of “me time” to devote to physical activity. Often, by the time you get home, you’re tired and spending the rest of the night on the sofa (more sitting!) can seem very appealing.
But with a few clever hacks, fitting exercise into your workweek can be easier than you might think. It doesn’t need to mean long sessions at the gym, either – by identifying gaps where you can fit effective, low-impact exercises into your day, and finding more efficient ways to get things done, you can make a valuable investment into your fitness.
Here are 5 of our favourite ways to fit exercise into your workweek, for your body, your health and for you.
1. Break your exercise into pieces.
Don’t have time for a half-hour workout during the day? The good news is, workouts broken into smaller segments are just as effective as continuous workouts! Break your workout into smaller 5 to 10-minute segments, and think of your daily activities with a critical eye as you look for opportunities to fit in exercise that you might’ve missed otherwise.
Whether it’s getting up 10 minutes early and going for a short jog, heading to the park near your office during your lunch break for a much-needed stretch, getting off the bus one or two stops early, heading to someone’s desk to ask a question instead of sending an email, or joining your workmates for a walking meeting instead of gathering in a dull boardroom, there’s plenty of ways to cram in a little more exercise here and there as you go about your day.
2. Move a little differently.
Harvard Health recommends some micro-hacks which you can easily adopt into your day: from swinging your arms when you walk, standing up on the bus or train instead of sitting to improve your core balance, standing when you’re on the phone to reap the metabolic benefits, or using a conventional can opener instead of electric for a great little hand & wrist workout. Again, these are low-impact exercises but turning them into every day habits can make a big difference!
Perhaps most importantly, Harvard Health highlights the importance of “thinking small”: it’s easier to incorporate tiny little bits of exercise into your day, rather than doing too much too soon by going full-steam-ahead with huge workouts but then rapidly losing that steam and heading straight back to the sofa.
3. Get psyched.
To make the important life changes involved in a lasting commitment to regular exercise, you have to motivate yourself properly. If you’re thinking of exercise as a chore, or something you’ll probably fail at, you may just be shooting yourself in the foot. Instead, remember that you’re doing this for yourself and a variety of good reasons – whether it’s for a healthier, fitter and happier you, a strong & toned figure, or to be able to reduce pain and have a run around with your children & fur-babies. Develop that intrinsic motivation, and you can move mountains.
4. Track and celebrate your progress.
Seeing progress unfold is a great way to keep that motivation up. There’s plenty of excellent apps out there to track how far you’ve run, how much exercise you’ve done, how many cm you’ve trimmed, etc. By keeping track, you can sense effectiveness and move forward towards your goals.
Of course, it’s not easy to stay fit and active during the workweek, and you deserve a pat on the back! Give yourself some well-deserved rewards as you progress in your exercise journey – whether it’s that gorgeous dress that you can finally buy in a smaller size, a relaxing spa massage or a manicure, you’ve earned it.
5. Join the SpeedFit revolution!
SpeedFit is a fast, effective and low-impact exercise workout using cutting-edge scientifically validated EMS technology to maximise benefit so you can get a fit, strong and healthy body in a mere 20 minutes, once a week.
Our sessions focus on strength training, building and developing muscle for a toned, lean, energetic and healthy you.
No matter how busy work and life can get, taking 20 minutes to take good care of yourself is doable, so it’s easy to fit SpeedFit into your regular routine.
You only have one body, and especially when you’re working hard you need to make sure to take good care of yourself so that your wellbeing doesn’t suffer and you can go the distance!
Learn more about what we do and how we do it here, discover the science behind SpeedFit, or get in touch with us today.
Here’s to your health!
