There are two types of people in this world…those who actively move their bodies and those who make excuses not to do so. I am not the latter of the two, and I’ll tell you why: I know how to make physical fitness fun! Being physically active doesn’t require hours at a gym…all it takes is a little self-motivation and creativity. Once you make physical activity part of your routine, you might even see that other areas of your life improve. Getting exercise releases endorphins that can elevate your mood and aid in reducing stress. You may find yourself being more patient in situations you previously couldn’t handle. The most important thing to remember is to enjoy whatever you do for exercise. If it doesn’t make you feel some sense of joy, find something else that does!
Physical fitness can be fun, you say?
Yes, of course it can be fun! I mean, if you’re training for a 5k, marathon, or decathlon, your work out routine will be rigorous, but other than specific event training, there are so many fun ways to move your body. In our house, I’m the queen of making anything into exercise (or learning…so sue me!). My kids even try to persuade me to play on playground equipment with them by saying it’ll be good exercise! When you think about it, being physically active is easy…it’s just moving your body. Not to mention, it’s a great, healthy example for your kids.
Here are four easy ways to squeeze a little fitness into your day without going to a gym:
1 – Make it a family event/game.
My kids give me grief about taking them to play outside on what seem to be the COLDEST days of the year. While I’m all for layering, bundling up and enjoying some brisk winter air, sometimes I just don’t want to go outside and freeze my buttocks, off, amIright? So, I made up a “game”, if you will, that involves a whole lot of child input, which is always good for morale around my house. So, this game is easy; find a hallway, or relatively long space in your home, choose a “move” and do that move up and down the hallway. Each person takes turns choosing and each person as to do the move up and down the hallway. I’ve done more than my fair share of bear crawls and duck walks, let me tell you, and they’re more of a workout than you think!
2 – Dance while you dust.
Not to be confused with whistle while work, dance while you dust can effectively burn calories and check off your to-do list at the same time! You don’t have to limit yourself to dusting, either…vacuuming, cleaning the tub/shower…anything you can think of to clean, just dance while you do it! Friendly tip: tighten that core and you might even be sore the day after…it’s such a great feeling when you realize you used muscles that haven’t been used in a long time! I can’t be the only one who secretly likes the “day after the day after” workout muscle blues? This activity will also boast your ability to multi-task, if that’s something you’re into. Make this part of your keystone habits for the week. If you’re like most people, you have to, at least, dust the surfaces in your home once a week. So, there you go! You can dance while you dust one time each week.
3 – Take a brisk walk.
This one may seem like a no-brainer, but it can be really hard to get up and get going. So, pick a destination, like a local store or park, and walk there and back. You only need to walk quickly enough to get your heart pumping, and it can be just as much of a workout as a jog or run if you keep your heart-rate up long enough! I find that a good way to know whether I’m walking briskly enough is to try and speak a full sentence…if I am too out of breath to complete a sentence, then I slow down a bit and if it’s too easy to speak, I speed up my pace. Another way is wear a smart watch that measures your heart rate. If it’s raining or too cold or the baby is napping, you can walk around your house! Listen to an audio book, watch a show on Netflix/Hulu and just walk around! Challenge yourself by skipping or hopping if walking isn’t doing it for you. If you have a treadmill, walk on it! I love my treadmill time because I get to watch a whole episode of something without feeling guilty. No time, you say? Make the time! I sometimes walk laps around playgrounds while my kids play, I pace in the kitchen and do leg raises while supper is cooking. There are ways to fit it in, I promise!
4 – Use an interval timer.
Most smart watches have interval timers, but you can also find free apps for your smartphone that work perfectly. My sweet spot is a little over 9 minutes total with intervals of 30 seconds active and 10 seconds of rest in between. I do random moves, like crunches, lunges, jumping jacks, butt kicks….anything that makes me feel like I’m really moving…for each 30 second interval and at the end I usually feel pretty great! If I have more time, I do the whole thing again, but with different stretches for each active period. So, in less than 20 minutes I get a good burst of blood pumping through my body and a nice stretch! What could be better?
Let’s get the whole family physically active!
Something I’ve always believed is that children imitate what they see their parents doing. From a very young age, they learn by observing, so what better observation that to see their parents physically active, right? I’m not saying you have to be a marathon runner or body builder, but you do have to actively engage your body on a regular basis to make it count. Be the example you want to follow. Creating healthy habits in the presence of your children can help them grow into healthy adolescents, teens and adults. Showing your kids that it’s important to get physical exercise takes time and dedication, but sooner or later, it will become a habit that is easy to include in your daily routine.
