Try these simple tips to add more activity with less stress!
“It is not a daily increase, but a daily decrease. Hack away at the inessentials.”
― Bruce Lee
As a personal trainer, I cannot tell you how many times I have heard people say, “I have no time to exercise.” Typically, it makes sense when they run through the overwhelming list of responsibilities in their day-to-day commitment. Upon further insight into how they choose to spend “downtime,” they can generally find a few spare moments to add more activity, movement, and even exercise into their routine.
By now, we all know the importance exercise and an active lifestyle play in our overall health and well-being. Far more important than a desire to lose weight, exercise provides countless health benefits, such as:
Reduces your risk of developing chronic disease
Build a strong heart and lungs
It keeps the brain healthy and sharp
Strengthens the immune system
It helps your body manage blood sugar and insulin levels
It helps maintain flexibility and mobility
It helps maintain balance to prevent falls
Boost your mood and outlook on life
It can help you manage a healthy weight
To name a few….
Despite this knowledge, why do many of us struggle to “make time” for exercise?
We choose to put off exercise because we don’t make it an essential priority due to too many things competing for our attention!
We have work, family, kids, pets, friends, tv, social media, and acts of daily living. Trying to juggle all these aspects of life vying for our attention makes it far too challenging to set aside time for ourselves, even if we want to and when we know it’s good for us.
If you have exercise on your list of News Years Goals, try a few life-simplifying ideas that may help clarify your priorities and hopefully include activity with less stress and more success.
Simplifying Tip #1: Declutter your life.
Take stock of how you spend your time each day and look for non-essential activities that do not add value to your life. For example, if you discover several hours of TV or social media time wasted with little to no return on your well-being, trade some of this time for something beneficial for your health!
Make a trade-off and earn TV and Social Media time through minutes of activity.
Simplifying Tip #2: Find more movement in everyday life.
Use what you already do and incorporate more exercise or activity sprinkled throughout the day, such as:
Take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator
Walk around the block with coworkers during lunch
Play outside for 20 minutes with the kids when they get home from school
Take a moment to search for simple ways to add a few minutes of activity in everyday life.
Simplifying Tip #3: Schedule time for exercise
Something is better than nothing! Schedule and set aside time, even if it’s only 10 minutes, to do something good for your body. It doesn’t have to be time-consuming or a big deal to receive benefits, but it does need to be consistent. Something like a 10-minute walk, workout, yoga, or stretching before bed will add up to tremendous benefits over time.
Evidence proves that a little bit of something every day is better than a few big things now and then. Do a little every day, and you will find yourself in the habit of exercising before you know it.
The moral of the story here is to start with a tiny step, take that step consistently over time, and see where that leads you.
Don’t overthink it…just do it!
Need some help getting started? Sign up for a FREE trial small group training class. The class will help with accountability because classes are LIVE and interactive. You work out with a group of the same classmates and coaches who know you aren’t there and worry about you when you don’t show up. You get the support, accountability, and social connections you need to make your exercise goal stick!
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