Sneaky ways to work a workout in everyday everywhere
Promise, you DO have time for this.
As the first month of the year winds down – often, so too does our New Year's commitment to self-care. Yep, statistically speaking, it's about this time of year that we begin to let our resolutions slide. Why? Because, well, life – amirite?! No matter how committed we're determined to be, a lot of the time things come up that take priority and get in the way. But what if I told you, you don't have to make exercise a "thing" in order to make it happen? The truth is, there are some crafty ways to sneak in some effective movement, without needing to sacrifice a ton of time or money. Here are some easy tips for fitting fitness into even the busiest days.
The waiting game
Let's face it – the cliché "hurry up and wait" can feel so incredibly real sometimes. A trick for fitting in a little bit of fitness every day is capitalizing on those idle moments. Think about all the moments you're required to wait for things during the day and then designate an exercise you can do while you wait. Take your morning routine for example – while you're waiting for the kettle to boil, do some elevated pushups against the countertop; while the bread is in the toaster or smoothie is in the blender, perform jumping jacks; while the shower heats up, do some tricep dips on the edge of the tub. Before you even leave the house – that's at least 5 minutes of sweat time that would have been wasted. Then factor in a wall sit while you wait for the elevator, glute kick-backs while you wait for your document to print and planks during commercial breaks and you have a full body workout broken down into small segments throughout the day.
15 minutes of fame
You may not always have an hour to spare, but anyone can find 15 minutes – and 15 minutes is more than enough time to work up a serious sweat. The trick is planning an effective routine that is non-stop to maximize all those glorious minutes. Tabata, a high intensity interval training (HIIT) system comprised of 8 rounds of 20 seconds of work and 10 seconds of rest, is a trainer fave because of its efficacy. Perform Tabata in three full rounds – one focused on upper body (say pushups and mountain climbers), one focused on lower body (i.e. squats and jump lunges) and one burning out the core (like bicycle crunches and side planks) and you have a full body burn in under 15 minutes. AMRAP – or "as many reps as possible" – routines are another favourite style of exercise to maximize a short amount of time. Prescribe 5-7 different full body exercises (for example: 10 squat jumps, 10 pushups, 20 mountain climbers, 10 supermans and 20 crunches) and perform that routine over and over as many times as possible in 15 minutes without rest. If you're really pushing your speed you should be left drenched at the end of the 15 minutes and you can compete with yourself by trying to get more rounds every time you do it.
The art of being subtle
If you rolled your eyes at my suggestion to do glute kick-backs at the office, you're not alone. PDE's (or public displays of exercise) aren't for everyone. Good thing there are ways you can sneak it in without anyone being the wiser. One amazing, underrated and undercover fitness tool is flexing. Technically speaking, flexing is a muscle contraction; holding a contracted position can be incredibly effective for toning and sculpting the body, that you can do in the comforts of your desk chair or even in line at the grocery store. Try this: contract each major muscle group starting at the calves, working your way up the body; think calves, thighs, butt, abs, triceps and biceps. Flex each part of the body 10 times, holding each one for a few seconds at a time and repeat 5 times over throughout the day. Voila – full body muscle work that no one needs to know about!
Happy flexing!
Caleigh is the voice, face and sweat behind popular body positive Instagram profile @CaleighFit and the Founder and CEO of BOLO (or, BodyLove) new the fitness and social club taking Toronto by storm! Her missions to bring a fun, fresh and inclusive perspective to fitness, share her love of boxing, and give a space for people to compromise less, are at the heart of the BOLO brand. A place where you can have your cake and eat it too…then workout, catch up with friends, drink coffee and get sh*t done.