Easy Ways to Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Day

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With a new year right around the corner, many of us start thinking about how to improve ourselves with new year’s resolutions. And it probably comes as no surprise that getting more exercise, getting in shape, and losing weight are always some of the most popular new year’s resolutions.

I don’t typically set new year’s resolutions, but I have been wanting to get in shape for some time now. I was fortunate that I lost my baby weight fairly quickly, but this body definitely isn’t the same shape it was pre-kids! It may never get there again, but I do want to be more comfortable in my own skin. And yes, the stress eating and the kids-are-driving-me-crazy chocolate binges don’t help! But I’ve made incorporating more exercise into my day a big priority over the last several months, and it’s starting to pay off.

If you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, you know that I am a firm believer that every bit counts. Whether you’re trying to save money, live a more frugal lifestyle, or save a few minutes in your day, whatever you do is better than doing nothing.

And incorporating more exercise in your day is no different. Whether you choose just one or two of the tips below or a handful, you’ll be better off than if you didn’t do anything. What’s more, the nice thing about exercise is that it has a snowball effect. Once you start feeling better and noticing results, it motivates you to keep going, push harder, and strive for better results. In this way, the snowball turns into an avalanche that can’t be stopped.

You know me for offering money saving tips, and this post is no different. The nice thing about getting into shape is that you really don’t need an expensive gym membership or fancy equipment. You can get fit and incorporate more exercise in your day with literally nothing more than your body.

So how do you get started incorporating more exercise into your day? It’s probably easier than you think.

Good Morning!

Exercising is a great way to start the day. Get your blood pumping and the endorphins going! If you have time in the morning to exercise, great! But if you already have to get up early for work, or if you have little ones that get you up unwillingly, dragging yourself out of bed an extra half hour early to get some exercise is tough, if not impossible. That doesn’t mean you can’t do something though.

Stretch

Get the blood flowing and your body waking up with a good stretch. Stand up and touch your toes, reach your arms to the sky, or do some torso twists to stretch out the sleepies. It doesn’t have to be for long, but stretching is a calm, relaxing way to get ready for your day.

Build those muscles

Start the day off strong with some strength training exercises. Examples include push ups, planks, or wall sits.

Quick cardio

If you’re looking for a brisker way to start your day and get your heart pumping, do some jumping jacks, high march in place, or do some burpees (video). We’re not trying to train for a marathon here! We’re just looking to sneak in some more exercise throughout the day!

Don’t stop moving

I’ve mentioned this before, but I don’t usually brush my teeth at the bathroom sink. I’m usually walking around tidying up, or doing something to get ready for my day. If I am at the bathroom sink, I’m usually moving. Squats are an easy exercise to do while you’re brushing your teeth, and a simple way to incorporate more exercise into your day. You can also do hip rolls and engage your core for a mini ab workout. Or keep it really simple and do some shoulder and neck rolls, which is also a nice, gentle way to warm up for your day.

Other ways you can incorporate more exercise into your morning routine is when you’re checking the weather or news, or waiting for your breakfast to cook (even if it’s just waiting for your toast to pop up from the toaster!). March in place, continue your stretches, or go up and down the stairs a few times. You will be amazed how these little movements add up and become routine.

Off to Work!

If you work outside the home, you have a lot of opportunities to incorporate more exercise into your day.

• Bike it: If you live within a reasonable distance from work, try biking instead of driving or taking mass transit. If you live near a major metropolitan area and a bike share program is available, see if your employer will subsidize the expense.
• Park farther away: If you drive in, park at the end of the parking lot and walk the rest of the way. It’s a good way to start racking up the steps.
• Get off a stop early: If you use mass transit to get to work, get off a stop early and walk the rest of the way.
• Take the stairs: Skip the elevator and hoof it up to your floor. If you work in a high-rise, get off a floor or two early and step it up the rest of the way.

Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Day at Work

It’s become abundantly clear that a sedentary lifestyle isn’t good for us. The human body evolved through movement, not sitting at a desk for seven, eight, nine or more hours a day. While I don’t think many of us would trade modern conveniences for our hunt-or-be-hunted lifestyles of the past, the trade-offs have come at a steep price: obesity, hypertension, diabetes, high cholesterol.

Fortunately, it’s easy to incorporate more exercise into your day while you work. No, these tips won’t prep you to run a marathon, and if you want to get serious about your health, you will need to embark on a more formal exercise routine, but if you need help getting started down the path toward fitness, these will get you off to the right start.

Standing desks

You’ve probably heard that standing desks are all the rage in corporate America. Unfortunately, I have bad news for you. Studies have shown that standing desks on their own don’t really provide much in the way of health or fitness benefits.

That doesn’t mean they don’t have any benefits. Standing desks are beneficial for those with bad backs for whom sitting for long stretches of time can be painful. Also, if you use your standing desk to march in place, do toe lifts, hip rolls, or otherwise encourage movement during the day, you’re better off than just sitting. Standing on its own might not do anything to encourage fitness but making it easier to move does.

Before you go out and order your own standing desk, see if work will buy one for you. The worst they can say is no!

Desk treadmill

So standing on its doesn’t do much for you but walking certainly will. Unfortunately, an under the desk treadmill is probably more than most of us are willing to spend, but if your work will buy it for you, definitely take them up on the offer!

Pedal exerciser

A much more economical way to incorporate more exercise into your day is a pedal exerciser you can place under your desk. These machines bring the benefits of a stationary bike into your office. Pedal away while you type, take calls, or read. They come in a variety of options from basic to more advanced, so you can choose what fits your needs and your budget.

Stability balls/pilates chairs

Another budget-friendly way to incorporate more exercise into your day is a stability ball/pilates chair. These work by ensuring better posture and engaging your core, so your ab muscles are getting a workout throughout the day. You have a few options. You can either opt for a desk chair unit or a balance disk. A balance disk gives you many of the benefits of a pilates chair, but isn’t as bulky and comes in at a lower price point.

Another option is a balance disk that you can use for sitting or standing. I like the flexibility of these. Sit on them to engage your core and improve posture, or stand to strengthen leg muscles. I put this on my Christmas wish list and hope Santa sees fit to leave one under my tree! And at a pretty low price point compared to other options on this list, it’s an attractive option for to incorporate more exercise into your day!

Walking meetings

I am a huge fan of walking meetings. Not only does it have physical benefits, I fully believe it also has productivity benefits. Often a change of scenery and some fresh air helps get the creative juices flowing. Walking meetings aren’t well suited for the dead of winter or the dog days of summer, but my team finds them to be a nice change of pace during pleasant weather.

Desk exercises

If you don’t want to purchase fitness equipment for work, there are still plenty of ways to incorporate more exercise into your day. Try any or all of these exercises that you can do sitting at your desk:

• Leg lifts
• Calf stretches: With feet on the floor point your toes up and keep your heel down. You should feel a deep stretch in your calf.
• Butt clenches
• Shoulder/neck/head rolls
• Bicep curls holding a heavy object you have around your office
• Arm raises
• Chest stretches: stretch your arms straight out in front of you and slowly pull them back toward you while you flex. You should feel your chest opening and your back stretching.
• Pelvic tips: While you sit roll up your pelvis to feel a crunch in your abs.
• Namaste: Put hands together as if in prayer, or namaste position, and press together. You use your body’s own resistance as strength building exercise. These kinds of exercises, cause isometric exercises, are a quiet, stealthy way to incorporate more exercise into your day.

Of course depending on your seating arrangements you may or may not feel comfortable doing all of these exercises but do what works for you to incorporate more exercise into your day.

Start a Workout Program

I know I’ve said this before, but as a working mom of two boys, I feel like I have negative time. So the idea of going to the gym before or after the kids go to bed just isn’t going to happen. I need a workout program that’s fast, convenient, and cheap.

I’ve recently fallen in love with Maggie Binkley’s fifteen-minute workouts. They’re intense, compact workouts that I suffer through, but feel really good after completing. Even though it’s tough, I can do fifteen minutes. And all of her videos are available free on Amazon Prime. Bonus!

If you don’t have Amazon Prime, search youtube for an exercise video that works for you. There are tons of options out there, whether you want aerobics, dance, or a killer ab workout.

If you’re not an exercise video kind of person, you can always walk or ride a bike. My husband recently dusted off his old bike and started racking up the miles. Almost immediately he started sleeping better, having more energy, and feeling better. One positive change in his life led to more as he started eating better too so as not to cancel out all of the good benefits he was getting from exercising. See, snowball effect!

If you want the benefits of a gym memberships without the cost, consider buying one or two fitness machines. Before you make a significant investment, check out local facebook groups, Decluttr, OfferUp, or Craigslist to see what you can get for free/cheap. Over the summer, I bought a rower for $100. That’s about two months of a gym membership around me so I’m definitely coming out ahead!

Other Ways to Incorporate More Exercise Into Your Day

The whole point of this post is to find ways to add more fitness throughout your day. You don’t have to be in a certain place, doing anything particular. Whatever you’re doing, find ways to turn a sedentary activity into a more active one, or do an activity more energetically. Here are even more ideas on how to incorporate more exercise into your day:

• Stand up straight: Just like grandma said! Stand up straight, shoulders back, core engaged. Keeping my abs tight and firm while standing and sitting is one of the only things keeping me from having a complete jelly belly!
• Sit properly: Practice good posture while you’re sitting too. Again, keep your abs firm, feet flat on the floor, and spine tall. Doing so keeps your back strong, and more helps to prevent aches and pains in your shoulders and neck.
• Dance party: Dance….all the time. Not only is it good for burning calories, dancing is a great mood booster. So shimmy in the shower, conga while you clean, and box step while you brush your teeth.
• Clean energetically: You’ve gotta clean so you might as well get some more use out of it by pumping up the energy to burn more calories.
• Stairs: I mentioned this before, but take the stairs whenever possible. If stairs are tough, start small with just one floor. Build up as you’re able. And don’t slouch on the escalator either. Walk it up!
• Go for a walk: Even if you only have ten minutes, take a brisk walk around the neighborhood. Walking is so beneficial that it’s worth making time for.
• Stretch and Strengthen: Instead of slumping on the couch while you watch TV, get on the floor and stretch out. Or work your abs through planks or crunches. Make down time active time!

Get Moving!

It may not seem like these tips to incorporate more exercise into your day will add up to much. They’re not going to make you instantly fit, or replace a regular workout program that includes strength training and cardio.

These tips are more about a mindset change. By adding more movement into your day and being more mindful about your health, you start a cascade effect of positive benefits. Maybe taking the stairs will inspire you to start training for a 5K. Or maybe being a bit more active during the day will encourage you to try a quick exercise video. Like I said in the beginning, whatever you do is better than doing nothing.

I’ve seen what a sedentary lifestyle can do. I’ve had family members who became injury prone because they lost flexibility. Even a few stairs or getting in and out of the car became a struggle. I’ve seen others have to give up things they love because they become too tired from a bit of walking. And others have a hard time playing with my kids because they can’t get down on their level. Seeing loved ones struggle through this first hand has been a powerful motivator for me to keep stretching, keep moving, and get fit.

What do you do to incorporate more exercise into your day? Or what motivates you to get fit? Leave a note in the comments below!