Having a very active lifestyle can make it hard to incorporate certain things in your life. Most people struggle with sticking to an exercise regime. It can be extremely hard trying to commit to an exercise regime when life is so hectic. A new and demanding job, a baby on the way, moving into a new home or just adjusting to all the financial, social and familial responsibilities that we have as adults can run you ragged and leave little time for much else. Usually exercise is on the back burner until all these things are dealt with. It can be hard. You can take advice from people, watch different infomercials to try to inspire you but ultimately that “blah” feeling will set in. Getting rid of the “blahs” can be difficult but always beneficial. Leading an active life can be good but if your body isn’t used to regular exercise focused on stretching the muscles and raising the heartrate. You could go from “blah” to burnout.
There are ways to get rid of the blahs without much fuss. If you have a fairly busy job and don’t spend a lot of leisure time at home you can bring your running shoes and walk on your lunch break. A brisk 20-minute walk five times a week can make a staggering difference in your stamina throughout the week. Little things like purposely parking farther when walking to your car. I often stretch when I’m alone in my office. If the door is locked your good to go. A lot of people have a problem with tardiness in the morning. Of course, rushing eventually follows. Instead of rushing off to work purposely wake up 10 minutes early. You could take a brisk walk into work to concentrate on breathing fully and spend a little time contemplating your day. You’ll be more relaxed and energized. And it’s much better than doing a full on sprint that just leaves you winded and frazzled by the time you get to your office.
Stay at home moms, sometimes, find it hard to exercise. It may sound a little nutty for those who don’t stay at home. But, coming from someone who has done both the working mom and the stay at home mom thing both can be equally tough to deal with when trying to maintain an exercise routine. A very corny way I found myself burning calories while at home with my baby was with the “15 minute quick clean up”. I would start in the center of the room moving throughout the house very swiftly and try to clean up as much as I could in 15 minutes. Nothing like washing the dishes because you are stationary, you can save that fun for later. Grab the broom and see how many rooms you can sweep. Then grab a basket or bucket and move from room to room picking up all the little trinkets on the floors. Dusting tables and cleaning the windows can work up a good heartrate. After the buzzer rings you can walk around for a little bit to cool down and you’re done. It may not sound like much. However, targeted exercise is better than just running around all day behind the kids. Also, you can get a semi-clean house in just 15 minutes.
Many people have active lifestyles where they are constantly on the go. However, if some of that movement isn’t targeted towards active exercise activity geared towards circulating the blood and getting your heartrate going you’re just moving in perpetual motion. Lauren Cooper from Cyclemedia.org is a professional cyclist. She defines active exercise as “ vigorous, sustained, repetitive use of the major leg muscles.” It is important to exercise the entire body. She described the act as involving the heart, lungs and legs. Running from place to place is actively moving but if your body is participating in an active exercise activity you can create more stamina throughout the day. Most people feel if they work hard that that is enough. Lauren explains that hard work throughout the day stresses the body out for brief moments and usually without a warm-up. This can lead to stress on the body as well as the heart. Exercise should be stress relieving not inducing.
Targeted physical activity has so many benefits. Citihealth.com reports that research shows that aerobic exercise can reduce stiffening of the arteries. Reducing your risk of stroke. Exercise can increase the body’s ability to control its glucose level thereby reducing the risk of adult onset diabetes. Strength training can help your bones grow stronger, increase flexibility, improve strength and balance. The body needs its exercise to function properly. You need that 30, 20 or even 5 minutes to relax the body, stretch the muscles, raise the body temperature and don’t forget to breathe. It’s better to burn calories rather than burn yourself out.
