We are way too busy with things in our life.
It doesn’t matter whether you work full time, or if you are a homemaker, or if you do a business part time, finding the time for self care is highly challenging.
Ironically though, it is very crucial that you take good care of yourself and be in good physical and mental shape, if you want to succeed in whatever you are busy with.
A sedentary lifestyle can create a lot of complications to your physical and mental health.
And most of the office based jobs, and online jobs that most people do require us to sit in a working chair for long hours.
In addition, most of us spend time on TV or mobile phone to relax.
The reduction of physical activity both during work and during leisure can pose serious risks to our physical and mental health.
For one, we are prone to gain a lot of weight. Without movement, it is not easy to burn off the calories we consume.
And, the sedentary lifestyle causes fluctuations in sugar levels, makes us diabetic, leads to high cholesterol levels, develop cardiovascular complications and also increases the risk of certain kinds of cancers.
And that’s why moving frequently, even amidst your busy schedule, is very important.
Further, it is not just about the body. But your eyes will thank you too, if you are involved in working on a computer for long hours.
Your back will thank you for the break!
Needless to mention, your mind will feel refreshed – a bit switched off from your work, when you give yourself a short break and indulge in some cardio activity.
Now, don’t get me wrong – you don’t have to put on your sport shoes, and sport wear to incorporate cardio in your routine.
It is indeed great to give a dedicated amount of time, a few times a week for working out! And, at that time, you would need your sports wear.
The kind of workout I share in this post is about seamlessly integrating slight movements, and even some tough cardio spurts while you are busy with your work or family.
Let’s get started.
Choose walking whenever you can!
Walking is a great way to boost your heart rate. And it is easy to implement too.
You need not devote or dedicate a special time to walk.
You can very well do it while at work or taking care of other things.
For instance, you can park your car far away and take a walk to the grocery store.
Even better, if your shopping mall is in a walk-able distance, abandon the car or bike altogether and just walk.
You can take a walk during your coffee break or lunch break at your office. Just walk around the block.
Or visit your colleague a couple of floors up, say a hi, and come back without interrupting his/her work.
And I guess I don’t have to tell you to choose the stairs over the lift while at work or while you shop!
Move while on the phone
We spend a lot of time using our phones.
Be it browsing, or messaging, or on call, you can do almost all these by moving, rather than being a couch potato.
You can take a brisk walk while you make that important call. Or you could do a few reps of lunges, and squats while you text your friend or type an email.
Plan your chores accordingly
Doing household chores is a great way to get things done at home as well as burn some serious calories.
Chores like mopping, scrubbing the tub, washing the car, cleaning windows, vacuuming, moving furniture around and the like can help you sweat and get your heart beat up.
You burn anywhere from 100 to 20 calories depending upon your weight in doing any of these average chores.
So plan your chores accordingly so you get any one of the major chores of your house done for a week or once in two weeks – whatever works for you.
If you are someone who hates to do household chores (like the most of us), this can be a great motivation!
Indulge in outdoor activities
Whenever you have some time, rather than indulging yourself in binge watching on Netflix, get outside.
You could take a walk and enjoy nature. You could take your bike, walk the dog, or take a jog.
Getting outside not only helps you with movement, but also refreshes your mind.
You could meet a few people outside that you can say hi to and have a small conversation.
And you could also get some sunlight, and fresh air.
Have fun-filled family time and workout
Spending quality family time can be greatly challenging if everyone in the house is busy in their own direction.
Out of your busy schedule, carve out some time every week for family time.
During this time, make sure everyone in the family participates in a fun-filled activity, preferably outdoors.
There are a good number of games that you can play as a family while everyone gets their share of cardio + fun doing so.
Or if you can’t be outdoors, you can still be indoors and can dance. Or do any activity that’s fun and doesn’t feel like exercise to you.
To be honest, doing some squats, planks, ab crunches and the like as a family (especially with kids) is real fun and doesn’t feel like exercise at all.
Take enough breaks
It is so easy for us to be so much involved in work, that most of us fail to even eat!
This contributes to a sedentary lifestyle, if your work involves sitting on a chair.
That’s why it is very important to take enough breaks.
Many people think that these breaks are time wasters and ruin their productivity.
However, if taken in proper intervals, these breaks can actually make you more productive!
If you are someone who is often too focused at work and forgets to take breaks, you can use a Pomodoro timer.
Or any kind of timer/reminder will just work.
During the break, leave your desk and take a short brisk walk, go out and get some fresh air, or fill your water bottle or just do anything that involves moving around.
You can even do sit ups if your office environment is favourable for the same.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are many ways to incorporate some movement in your daily routine.
It doesn’t matter how busy you are, you can seamlessly integrate cardio and get yourself some great benefits.
Remember, being fit and in good physical and mental health is way more important than anything else.
If you are not in good health and form, you cannot succeed in whatever you are up to.
As I often say to my business clients, YOU are the most important asset in your business.
Take good care of yourself first!
This post was last modified on February 20, 2020 7:14 PM