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Mitra
04-05-2006, 03:09 PM
I came across an article on fitting exercise into a busy life, and I'm sure you could all add useful ideas.

Here's the article:

Here’s a question I get all the time: I truly have no time to exercise. What can I do? Simple, don’t exercise you’re to busy. Just kidding. Let me give you an example of a client I consulted who had the same problem. She was working full time, going to school part-time, had a 6 year old and basically felt she couldn't find time to exercise. Since she had very little time, joining a gym was not really an option. So here's what we came up with.
Everyday she had to walk to work and back instead of taking the bus. She worked in a high-school with access to 12 flights of stairs and a weight room. Her goal everyday at work was as follows: Upon entering the building she had to walk up to the sixth floor 2 times. Anytime she had to leave her office she had to walk up to the sixth floor of the building and back down. That was 4 times a day. Before she left for the day she had to walk up to the sixth floor 2 times. She also had to visit the weight room and do 20 pushups, 20 dumbbell shoulder presses with 10 lbs, and 20 back rows with 50 lbs. She visited the weight room twice a week. Is this program perfect? Of course not but what program is perfect. For someone who thought she had no time she was able to do aerobic work 5 times a week plus 2 strength work-outs. She also happened to lose 14 lbs. in nine weeks. That’s excellent progress for some one who initially thought she had no time to exercise.
The point I’m trying to make is that having no time to exercise is usually just a perception. Usually it’s just a matter of fitting it in somewhere in your day. Another misperception is that exercise has to take place within a specific hour or time frame. In this particular case the exercise took place at intervals throughout the course of a day.
If you are truly busy (and most of are) and feel you have no time to exercise (and most of need to) try finding little spots in the day to fit it in. It really doesn’t take much for it to add up. Remember 3 ten minute sessions over the course of a day will add up to 30 minutes. Many experts agree that 30 minutes is the minimum amount of exercise people should get each day.
I hope this example gives you or someone useful ideas on fitting exercise into your busy schedule.



by Virgil Aponte
http://ezinearticles.com/?expert=Virgil_Aponte



Another tool that I found when my back was troubling me was a simple application that reminds me to take a break from the computer (you can use it as a reminder to have another glass of water, to get up and stretch, do 300 press-ups ... whatever you need to work on). It's free from http://www.scirocco.ca/takeabreak.html and you can easily set the frequency and break time to whatever you want, or turn it off (in my search, I found one that, when it decided it was time for your break, just locked up the screen, keyboard and mouse :mad: ).

Was it Ruth who used to do a series of exercises every time she went to the bathroom? And Aaron used to do a couple of chin-ups here and there through the day? Any other ideas for adding some extra exercise, or just fitting some in when you don't have time for the gym?

banshee
04-05-2006, 05:36 PM
It's free from http://www.scirocco.ca/takeabreak.html and you can easily set the frequency and break time to whatever you want, or turn it off (in my search, I found one that, when it decided it was time for your break, just locked up the screen, keyboard and mouse :mad: ).

I think I need the locking screen program for my DH - can it be remote-controlled? :D

Was it Ruth who used to do a series of exercises every time she went to the bathroom? And Aaron used to do a couple of chin-ups here and there through the day? Any other ideas for adding some extra exercise, or just fitting some in when you don't have time for the gym?

It was Lynn (Hawk) who did the pushups, etc. during bathroom breaks. I tried to do the same thing when she mentioned it, but my boss gave me some funny looks, so I stopped.

I've planned at least some of my core workouts around my tanning time. While I'm lying in the tanning bed for 10 minutes, I can easily get in 2 sets of ab vacuums. I also try to "suck it in" when I'm walking to and from the bathroom. (It's easier on the way back, though! :p)

I can't quite make it up all three flights of stairs to my office, yet, but any time I have to move between floors where it's less than that, I take the stairs. I hope to eventually always take the stairs, so in time I'll get in stairs 3-4 times a day. Right now I get in two flights at least once a day in my car park, twice when I have to take the car somewhere at lunch. I only skip it if I'm terribly late for work or a meeting.

I've been walking to meetings in other buildings whenever possible, and I walk to the place DH picks me up for lunch unless the weather is truly terrible.

When my muscles aren't too sore from other workouts, I try to do ab vacuums while sitting at my desk. I've also been known to do stretches and lunges while standing on the street waiting for a ride.

Gabriel Guzman
04-05-2006, 10:01 PM
Oh, Polly does a great job reminding me that it's important to take a break... especially whe she needs to go potty!:D

Mitra
04-06-2006, 02:00 AM
Gabe, I don't know if you can count Polly's potty break as your exercise - unless you take her a long way away and run there ;). Or knock off a few press-ups while she takes care of her needs.

I get in quite a lot of stairs, though not as many since I got a laptop and don't have to do four flights every time I move from the computer to the kitchen. I'm looking at some ideas for getting more work out of the stairs - various lunge-type things.

Another suggestion I saw was always using just one leg when you get out of a chair (and doing it slowly enough that you need to use your muscles, not bouncing up).

Gabriel Guzman
04-06-2006, 08:31 AM
Gabe, I don't know if you can count Polly's potty break as your exercise - unless you take her a long way away and run there ;). Or knock off a few press-ups while she takes care of her needs.

I get in quite a lot of stairs, though not as many since I got a laptop and don't have to do four flights every time I move from the computer to the kitchen. I'm looking at some ideas for getting more work out of the stairs - various lunge-type things.

Another suggestion I saw was always using just one leg when you get out of a chair (and doing it slowly enough that you need to use your muscles, not bouncing up).


Oh no, we do our exercise at the YMCA. Polly's breaks count only as breaks so I get away from the computer! :) Trust me, after we're done at the 'Y' every time, we really don't need to do more at home!

Sorry about the confusion!:)

Viking Dan
04-06-2006, 08:44 AM
I used to use hand grippers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search.html/ref=br_ss_hs/103-7474154-5183052?platform=gurupa&url=node%3D3375301&keywords=hand+gripper+-glove&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go) on the ride to and from work. Not great for burning calories, but I was the terror of peanut butter jars everywhere. ;)

banshee
04-06-2006, 09:49 AM
I used to use hand grippers (http://www.amazon.com/gp/search.html/ref=br_ss_hs/103-7474154-5183052?platform=gurupa&url=node%3D3375301&keywords=hand+gripper+-glove&Go.x=0&Go.y=0&Go=Go) on the ride to and from work. Not great for burning calories, but I was the terror of peanut butter jars everywhere. ;)

Hey Dan, thanks for the chuckle this morning! It's all rainy and gloomy and I needed something to brighten my day! :)