With a tight schedule and constant fatigue, working out may feel impossible. But incorporating exercise into your lifestyle is not only possible, but it doesn’t need to involve spending long hours at a gym or suffering through long workout sessions. With small, deliberate changes to your daily life, you can get enough physical activity without overexerting yourself.
Why You Should Stay Active, Even On Tiring Days
During busy periods, exercise is often the first priority to be dropped, but it should never be ignored. Movement, no matter the amount, can prove to be beneficial to your health and body. Staying physically active helps increase vitality, focus, mood, and promotes overall well-being. Instead of intensity, it’s more important to focus on consistency.
Start with 1, or 2, or even 3 of these pointers:
- Exercise In The Form Of Intervals
Short but effective exercise intervals are much more manageable than long drawn ones, especially when you are low on energy. Try these exercises:
10-minute HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training): Simple exercises done in the form of intervals can help in quick strengthening of your body while burning calories.
Tabata workouts: These comprise of quick 4 minute workouts consisting of 20 seconds of exercise followed by a 10 second cooldown.
Micro workouts: Repetitive light physical activity like lunges, squats, or push-ups.
Short bouts of exercise while being sedentary can prove to be immensely energising, so try doing 5 minutes and watch as your energy levels skyrocket.
- Integration of Physical Movement into Work Life
As the list of tasks continues to grow, so does its importance to find ways to incorporate movement in simple ways. Examples include the following:
Walking instead of using the car for shorter routes.
Doing exercises at the desk chair.
Stretching and squatting while watching television.
Taking the stairs instead of the lift.
Considering these changes means that completing specific tasks will no longer be so time consuming.
- Bodyweight Exercises for Flexibility
There is great appeal to calisthenics exercises because they can be done anywhere and do not take time. For example:
Squats for legs and bum.
Push-ups for the arms.
Planking for the abdomen.
Jumping jacks or high knees for a bit of cardio.
Placing a five-minute slot at the end of the day or before work is more than enough to provide a satisfactory level of fitness.
- Use Basic Activities as an Exercise Routine
Washing, cleaning, and other work activities performed in the house are good candidates for workout activities as well. Vacuuming, sweeping, carrying groceries and scrubbing floors are some of the many facilities that use muscles and burn calories. To make this task more advantageous, additional movements can be added such as doing calf raises while washing the dishes or lunges while mopping.
- Turning Exercise into a Social and Enjoyable Activity
Working out by oneself can seem frustrating, but engaging with others can boost one’s motivation towards it. Here are some examples:
Instead of going for coffee, you and a friend can go on a casual stroll together.
Go out for a simple dance or any other sport for an active yet fun engagement.
Combine family time with physical activity by playing with children or pets outdoors.
Making these changes will not only make it easy to perform physical activity because it is fun, but it will also improve consistency in exercising.
- Pay Attention to Your Body on Different Days
Some days, energy levels will be too low for an intense workout. Continuing from here, gentle movement can still be effective. Low intensity exercise such as stretching, yoga, or leisurely walking will enhance circulation, reduce feelings of weariness, and not cause exhaustion. Serious hydration and proper rest will also play a crucial role in curing tiredness and allowing some movement.
Final Remarks
The truth is, exercise can be effective even if it is not time-intensive or too demanding. The focus should be on dividing strenuous workouts into smaller ones, enhancing routine activities, and serving exercise in an enjoyable way. Consistency is key, remember that performing even the smallest resourceful actions every day will have great long term benefits for the body.
