Sneaking Exercise In

People promise themselves they're going to exercise more, but sometimes the promises don't come true.  It's easier said than done: with all the other things we have to do, like work, school, running errands, paying bills, etc., there never seems to be enough time or energy to fit the exercise in.  If you already are going to the gym a few times a week, the thought may be, "I'm doing enough."  But if the pounds aren't coming off and the results aren't what you want, maybe some more effort outside of the gym needs to be done.

Exercise can be sneaked into a busy schedule.  Walking is one way to do so.  If you drive a car, park a block or more away from your destination and hoof it the rest of the way.  If only going a short distance to get somewhere, leave the car at home and/or save the bus fare and walk the few blocks. 

Jog in place, do crunches or do some other exercise while a half-hour TV sitcom is on.  Rest during the commercial breaks.  That's twenty-two minutes (the time a sitcom actually runs minus the commercials) of exercise right there.  For an hour-long show, the commercials run every twelve minutes or so, so four sessions of exercise can be done while that is on.

There are plenty of exercises that can be done at the desk if one has a sedentary job.  Research these online.  Instead of always taking the elevators or escalators, take the stairs instead.  Have a job that involves driving around from location to location?  Get out of the car and stretch several times during the day.  Exercise during the lunch hour; if there is an unused room on the job, use that.  Maybe you can convince several co-workers to join you and turn that into a regular exercise time. 

Walking a pet a few times a day helps burn calories.  So does playing with your kids (if you have any).  As much as some of us would rather avoid it, doing housework can be used as exercise.  You'd be surprised at the calories that can be burned by washing down walls and scrubbing floors.

Like to dance?  That qualifies as exercise.  Turn the radio to your favorite station or pull out your favorite CDs and move around. 

It would be nice to have an hour or two every day to exercise, but most of us are lucky if we're at the gym once or twice a week.  Ten to fifteen minutes of movement a day, or spread across a few times a day can be just as beneficial.