I Just Don’t Have Time to Exercise
By: Derek Maxfield
Fitness Together Beverly
978-922-3636
Where does the time go? With our job, family, and numerous obligations – it seems like we get out of bed and don’t stop until we get back into bed. The unfortunate repercussion of this is that it can easily lead to bad health and weight gain, especially around the mid-section.
Exercise is something that takes time and lots of effort; adding it to the daily list of tasks to accomplish only makes it more difficult to fit in. (Not to mention the question of ‘what should I be doing?’ and what routine is right for me?) It is very understandable that the last thing a person wants to do at the end of the day is exhaust themselves with rigorous exercise.
There is good news though! There are plenty of tedious forms of exercise to improve your fitness level and prevent your favorite pair of jeans from getting tight around your waist that do not take up hours upon hours during the week.
The list of exercises that can be performed without any equipment is longer than you may think. From pushups and planks to jumping jacks and wall sits, there are many different movements that can challenge the muscles that often times do relatively nothing during the day and elevate the heart to improve aerobic health and burn calories. Here is a list of bodyweight exercises that require only a few square feet of space to be performed:
Jumping jacks
Pushups
Wall sit
Plank
Sit ups
Crunches
Triceps dips
Running in place
Lunges
Side plank
The interesting thing about doing these movements is that you don’t have to set aside hours each week to do numerous sets of these exercises. Simply taking 15-20 minutes before work or before you go to bed can add up to dozens of sets of exercise per week which will burn calories and prevent body fat from being stored throughout the body.
Another option is to get outside during work. On your lunch hour you could go for a jog, or even walk, around your office. Not only will you elevate your heart rate, but it would be a nice mental break from work.
As you can see, dedicating 15 minutes per day, just 5 days per week can add to over an hour’s worth of exercise and hundreds of calories burned, and even some muscle mass being gained! So pull that coffee table away from the center of the living room and before your cup of coffee, do a few jumping jacks and a couple sets of pushups. No better way to begin your day!