11 Ways To Squeeze Activity Into Your Busy Day

We all have days that it seems impossible to do a legitimate workout.  Let’s be honest: after my son was born, I had too many days like that.  I got into the habit of sneaking in little bits of activity so that at the end of the day I felt like I did something good for myself.

Here are my favorite no-time fitness tricks:

At home:

1.       Do this as many times as you can throughout the day: 10 (jump) squats + 10 push ups with side plank twist + 10 lying leg lift butt lifts.  This little round only takes me 1 min & 20 sec.  I usually do this before a shower, before brushing my teeth, or before bed on days I don’t have time for a workout.

2.      While standing at the sink washing dishes do calf raises &  leg lifts for glutes (posterior and side lifts).

3.     Before bed: side lying leg lifts for glutes.  See this video for a demonstration.

4.     Walk to run errands if you live in a walk-able neighborhood.

5.     Do 1 round of a 12 minute HIIT workout.  12 minutes may seem like too much, but 4 min is doable!  Maybe you can do the other rounds throughout the day.

At work:

1.       Park a bit further away from your workplace.

2.      Take the stairs instead of the elevator.  At the top of the stairs, do standing leg lifts (side, back) & calf raises.

3.     Walk briskly everywhere.

4.     Do 10 squats each time you go to the bathroom.

5.     Do 10 tricep dips off your desk or chair when you return from going somewhere.

6.     If you don’t pack a lunch, walk to a restaurant & take the longest route you can without returning late.

7.     Workout on your lunch break if you have enough time (my favorite).

8.     Can’t do a HIIT workout at lunch?  Go for a walk &/or climb stairs.  I did that when I was a student & kept in shape, and my classmate lost 40 pounds!  Our routine was 3-4 rounds of 11 floors of stairs M/W/F, walk 1-2 miles around the hospital T/Th.  We did that in 30 minutes each day, so had enough time to eat.

9.     Focus on engaging your core (transverse abs) as much as possible throughout the day.

What works well for me may not work for everyone, so please share your ideas!  What are your stay-fit tricks when you have a day too busy to workout?

Article written for the Daily HIIT.  Original article can be found here.

Image credit: http://srxawordonhealth.com/2011/05/16/multitasking-as-a-diagnostic-tool/