No matter who you are, the daily stressors of life require that you wear many hats. From a busy CEO and parent of three to chef, gardener, and much more, it takes a lot to get everything done. According to Gallup, full time employees report working an average of 47 hours per week, so it’s easy to see how it could seem difficult to work exercise into your schedule.
What you likely haven’t taken into consideration is that there are a number of regular daily activities that do burn calories and allow you to have some fun while doing it. Rather than trying to manage a gym exercise regimen that you’ll have little to no enthusiasm to maintain, consider the following creative ways to stay fit on a busy schedule.
Skip the Commute and Bike
Riding a bike can get you around just as fast if not quicker than a car in many situations, and you can burn as much as 650 calories per hour riding at a moderate pace. If you work within a few miles of your home, it’s easy to wake up just a little bit earlier and ride your bike to the office. Not only does this give you a chance to wake up to fresh air, but it can also prove to kick-start your day on a positive note and provide numerous health benefits including:
- Improved cardiovascular fitness
- Weight loss
- Decrease in overall body fat percentages
- Decreased risk for the development of heart disease
Even if you work too far away to use a bicycle to get to and from work, you can consider an alternative. Riding a motorcycle is considered a low-impact exercise. Just make sure you use the proper safety precautions such as a quality helmet. When you read reviews of highly rated motorcycle helmets, you can find just the product to meet your needs.
Power of Dance
Humans have expressed themselves in dance for centuries, and it’s no wonder why. A moderate workout, dancing provides a number of beneficial effects that improve your overall physical well-being and mood. Just a few of the many benefits you can take advantage of when you enroll in a dance class include:
- Increased strength in muscles you don’t typically use
- Increased core strength
- Increased motor skills and mental focus
If your personal schedule doesn’t allow for you to join a class, that’s okay. There are hundreds of videos available online that teach you how to dance, or you could just spend 30 minutes alone rocking out to your favorite jams.
Consider Geocaching
If you haven’t yet heard of this phenomenon or you just never really understood what it was, you could be missing out on an opportunity to engage in a social activity you’ll enjoy every day. Using GPS coordinates, various treasures are hidden and waiting to be found. Participants simply check out a geocaching website to see where to hunt, and the game begins. You can have fun, make new friends, and get a good workout in without even realizing it.
Invest in a Trampoline
It’s likely been awhile since you last felt the joy that can only be experienced on a trampoline. The feeling of weightlessness that accompanies a good jump gets the adrenaline pumping, and you can even work up quite a sweat without feeling overwhelmed. In fact, after just 10 minutes of moderate jumping, you can burn around 42 calories. Aside from the beneficial exercise to be taken advantage of, the investment in a trampoline can also prove to be a fun and effective way to bring the family closer together in fun and play.
Standing Desks
Millions of people across the country have office jobs, and, as technology continues to improve, we can expect even more positions become available. While it can be an upgrade not to have to engage in manual labor, the fact remains that you’ll be spending a lot of time in a sedentary position.
You’d be surprised at how much harder the body has to work to stand as opposed to sit. It’s estimated that you can burn 50 more calories per hour standing for an hour instead of sitting, and you can achieve this in the office easily when you invest in a standing desk. Some are even adjustable so you can sit when you do feel like taking a break.
Staying Fit for the Long Term
A new study has revealed that 73 percent of those who set fitness goals fail to see their plans through. This means, if you’ve set fitness goals, you likely fall into this statistic. We make these efforts because we realize the many long-term benefits of exercise, but we’ll never reap long-term benefits when we fail to see our goals to fruition.
Instead of kidding yourself with a strenuous exercise regimen you likely won’t follow, consider the regular engagement in activities listed here and any you may think of that uniquely apply to your life. You may be surprised to find a difference in the way you look and feel despite your busy schedule.