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Some days, life get’s the best of us.
School, work and other commitments get in the way and you find yourself getting home at 11 p.m. at night, only to realize that you were unable to set aside a meer 30 minutes in your day for exercise.
I was inspired to write this post because of the day I had yesterday. I had work at 8 a.m., class afterward and then an afternoon full of running errands and finishing up things. By the time 6 p.m. rolled around, I found myself not having exercised all day and planning to spend my night (6:30-10:30 p.m.) at a retreat for one of my organizations.
However, it just so happened that my organizational retreat turned into a full out running competition, one in which I spent the majority of my night racing through my campus as fast as my team and I could go.
We were divided into groups, given a team name (the name of a band), expected to coordinate an outfit together (my team was LMFAO, and our outfit was a little bit ridiculous) and then released into the wild to find our clues and work our way through the maze. We were supposed to be doing a scavanger hunt type activity, much like the “Amazing Race,” but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that instead of peacefully piecing our clues together and making our way to the finish line, we ran somewhere between 5 to 6 miles all throughout campus. And for those of you that don’t know, the University of Florida campus is pretty darn big, and we ran ALL over it.
And we went fast, because we wanted to win.
The race itself was fun and incredibly exciting, but boy am I glad that I didn’t work out before! This retreat, which I thought was going to be nice and easy, turing into a full-out workout for me. But I’m not complaining, because I squeezed physical activity into my day without even trying!
And even though my team didn’t win, we had a great time together, and that’s all that matters.
It’s days like yesterday that make me realize that exercise is lurking everywhere around us. By incorporating a few simple adjustments to your everyday life, there are some easy ways to fit physical activity into even the most craziest of days.
- Take the Stairs: Yes, it’s easier to take the elevator. Yes, stairs are annoying. And yes, stairs may be slower. But taking the stairs every day instead of the elevator is a great way to incorporate some exercise in your day. Especially if you’ve got 5+ flights to go up. And while stairs may be no fun at all, they’ll work wonders for your behind.
- Park Farther Away: If you’re driving (or scooting, in my case) somewhere throughout the day, try parking farther away from your location so that you can get an extra little walk in before. And if you don’t have a car or scooter but you’re big on taking the bus, try getting off at a farther stop and then walking to your destination. Doing so may take a little longer, but you’ll feel better at the end of the day and so will your body.
- Wake up Earlier: I mentioned in my last post that I’ve started doing some abs workouts as soon as I get out of bed, and I think it’s a great way to get some exercise in before your day has even started. So set your alarm for 10 minutes earlier and jump out of bed to stretch your body and do some quick abs workouts. 10 minutes of sleep is a great sacrifice for a healthier, happier you, and I promise getting your body moving early in the morning will only bode well for the rest of your day.
- Take Breaks: Whether you’re studying hard or hard at work, try and take a 5 to 10 minute break every two hours or so and put your body in motion. I know my roommates and I LOVE to take dance breaks when we’re studying at late at night. We blast our music and dance around our apartment like crazy ladies, but it’s nice to do some physical activity, however small it may be. Breaks are also a great time to stretch a little, do some abs workouts or even do some jumping jacks. Whatever you chose to do while on break, your body will thank you later when you’re able to focus better afterward.
These ideas may seem simple, but I think you’ll see that they can have a positive affect on your life and your body. Even if you’re facing a hectic 12-hour day, by getting your body moving early in the morning and then doing some small physical activity throughout the day, you’ll feel better when you do finally get home.
Have you found easy ways to incorporate exercise into your everyday life? Share your ideas with me! I’d love to find even more ways to do some physical activity even when I don’t have the time to specifically schedule working out.