Physical fitness is not a task or a chore. It’s not a job or destination. It’s a journey and a mind set. Below are six habits of those individuals who recognize this:
1. Maximize Time. Everyone eats lunch, watches TV, or reads books. These can all be done actively. Rather than sitting and eating, walk and eat. Rather than fast-forwarding commercials, do body weight squats, jumping jacks, or pushups. Rather than reading in bed, read on the elliptical.
Time is scarce, so why not merge two activities, make a little extra free time for yourself (see #7).
2. Make Opportunities for Exercise. Much of our chores and work can be made more active. Some of these are obvious, but they it never hurts to have a reminder
a. Park in the last possible spot, this may only add a minute of extra walking, but it will add up over the course of a week;
b. Take the stairs and jog up them if you can;
c. Carry your groceries from the store to the car rather than using the shopping cart;
d. Standup and/or walk around when you’re on the telephone;
e. Don’t email a co-worker, walk down the hall; and
f. Set a reminder in your calendar to stand up every hour, walk around, and maybe even knock out a few pushups or squats.
3. Structure Exercise. Each Sunday sit down for a brief “week ahead” meeting. Look at the calendar for the week, consider all the time constraints. Schedule your workouts around these issues. For example, if you have a late afternoon meeting, workout in the morning to avoid the meeting running long and interfering with your workout.
If you are smart with your time, you only need 4 or 5 days in the gym because you should be getting plenty of activity throughout the rest of your day.
Also, during the “week ahead” meeting, plan each workout: Write down the weight training routine you plan to follow, which cardio machines you intend to use, and which group exercise classes you’d like to try. This saves time and keeps you focused.
4. Don’t Structure Exercise. As important as it is to engage in regular, frequent, and intense structured exercise, it’s equally important to find less structured activities to involve yourself in.
Consider joining a local sports league, arranging basketball games, or simply going for walks with friends and family. Refer back to #1 - time is scarce, spend time with your friends playing a sport, and time with your family during an evening walk.
5. Plan Your Meals. During the same “week ahead” meeting in which you plan your exercise, plan your meals. Buy all the groceries you need for a week in one trip and, if possible, prepare large dishes that you can easily separate into 5 or 6 lunch- & dinner-sized meals. Also, this avoids repeat trips to the grocery store which often result in excess spending and unhealthy “hunger” purchases.
If you weren’t able to prepare your meals in advance, or run short on food, use Google to scope out the closest Subway or Salad Bar. Just be sure to avoid the garbage and make smart choices.
6. Rest, Relax, and Sleep. Fitness requires more than just movement and activity, it also requires rest. Sleep is one of the greatest medicines available. Getting 8+ hours per night boosts the metabolism, the immune system, and your total energy stores.
Contact Fit2You Fitness today (info@fit2youfitness.com) for more information and to schedule a session with one of our health and fitness professionals.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you don’t, get it with us.”
1. Maximize Time. Everyone eats lunch, watches TV, or reads books. These can all be done actively. Rather than sitting and eating, walk and eat. Rather than fast-forwarding commercials, do body weight squats, jumping jacks, or pushups. Rather than reading in bed, read on the elliptical.
Time is scarce, so why not merge two activities, make a little extra free time for yourself (see #7).
2. Make Opportunities for Exercise. Much of our chores and work can be made more active. Some of these are obvious, but they it never hurts to have a reminder
a. Park in the last possible spot, this may only add a minute of extra walking, but it will add up over the course of a week;
b. Take the stairs and jog up them if you can;
c. Carry your groceries from the store to the car rather than using the shopping cart;
d. Standup and/or walk around when you’re on the telephone;
e. Don’t email a co-worker, walk down the hall; and
f. Set a reminder in your calendar to stand up every hour, walk around, and maybe even knock out a few pushups or squats.
3. Structure Exercise. Each Sunday sit down for a brief “week ahead” meeting. Look at the calendar for the week, consider all the time constraints. Schedule your workouts around these issues. For example, if you have a late afternoon meeting, workout in the morning to avoid the meeting running long and interfering with your workout.
If you are smart with your time, you only need 4 or 5 days in the gym because you should be getting plenty of activity throughout the rest of your day.
Also, during the “week ahead” meeting, plan each workout: Write down the weight training routine you plan to follow, which cardio machines you intend to use, and which group exercise classes you’d like to try. This saves time and keeps you focused.
4. Don’t Structure Exercise. As important as it is to engage in regular, frequent, and intense structured exercise, it’s equally important to find less structured activities to involve yourself in.
Consider joining a local sports league, arranging basketball games, or simply going for walks with friends and family. Refer back to #1 - time is scarce, spend time with your friends playing a sport, and time with your family during an evening walk.
5. Plan Your Meals. During the same “week ahead” meeting in which you plan your exercise, plan your meals. Buy all the groceries you need for a week in one trip and, if possible, prepare large dishes that you can easily separate into 5 or 6 lunch- & dinner-sized meals. Also, this avoids repeat trips to the grocery store which often result in excess spending and unhealthy “hunger” purchases.
If you weren’t able to prepare your meals in advance, or run short on food, use Google to scope out the closest Subway or Salad Bar. Just be sure to avoid the garbage and make smart choices.
6. Rest, Relax, and Sleep. Fitness requires more than just movement and activity, it also requires rest. Sleep is one of the greatest medicines available. Getting 8+ hours per night boosts the metabolism, the immune system, and your total energy stores.
Contact Fit2You Fitness today (info@fit2youfitness.com) for more information and to schedule a session with one of our health and fitness professionals.
“If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you don’t, get it with us.”
