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6 ways to embrace everyday exercise to improve your fitness

 

 

Do you lead a crazy busy lifestyle and often find it challenging to fit in time to exercise each day? What if we told you, you could exercise by accident every day.

We always encourage intentional exercise, however we understand it isn’t always that easy.

We love seeing our clients regularly in class but what about those days (or weeks!) when you can’t make into the studio to workout.

How can we maintain our fitness in between workouts?

Let’s talk incidental exercise (your new BFF)! If you can’t physically make it into the studio for a class, go to the gym or squeeze in a run, all is not lost.

There are plenty of ingenious ways to get a workout during those busy days and the benefits of are endless.

Incidental exercise includes all the little bits of activity you do during your day. No need for any equipment or a structured plan. It’s as simple as consciously making a choice to move your body, wherever possible.

You know the saying.. “it’s the little things that count!”

Well, it’s true! Little bursts of activity throughout your day will help to keep those muscles and tendons (that you don’t use in class) of yours in check.

Maintain your fitness and burn extra calories while you are on your way to and from work, out and about running errands or while you are at home.

We can hear you shouting, YES PLEASE, tell me more! Following are 6 ways to embrace incidental exercise…

1. Walk your way to fitness by leaving your car at home! – Did you know that Walking is a great way to improve or maintain your overall health? Spending just 30 minutes every day can increase cardiovascular fitness, strengthen bones, reduce excess body fat, and boost overall muscle power and endurance.
   We have a few clients who walk or cycle to work and the studio – way to go!
2. Rock out while you clean – this is Matthew’s favourite! Put on some tunes and turn a mundane chore into a fun way to keep fit. Who doesn’t love a lunge and loo clean. Research has shown that listening to music can reduce anxiety, blood pressure, and pain as well as improve sleep quality, mood, mental alertness, and memory.
3. Ditch the lift and take the stairs – unless you are on the 50th floor. You can lose about 0.17 calories while climbing up and 0.05 calories while climbing down a single step.😊
4. Get yourself a stand-up desk at work to keep those legs moving. Standing Lowers Your Risk of Weight Gain and Obesity.
5. Mow your lawn or get out in your garden more often (even if it’s only a veggie patch). Having your own garden and spending time in it improves health and well-being, study suggests.
6. Play with your kids at the park (monkey bars here we come!). Playing allows children to use their creativity while developing their imagination, dexterity, and physical, cognitive, and emotional strength.

These are just a few little things you could do to increase your incidental exercise. We hope these help you to think about ways you can ramp up what you do incidentally each day in between classes to help maintain your healthy, active lifestyle.

Remember, intentional or structured exercise (like our fabulous classes) are always there to support you on your fitness journey.

We are on a mission to change lives though fitness and Pilates so please reach out if we
can help you.

See you in a stairwell soon!

Matthew and Brett 🙂