 |
Finding Time to Exercise
Exercising During Commercials
I'm getting up an hour earlier these days. At first I said I'd never be able to do it: I was already sleep deprived rising at 6 AM how would I ever get up at 5 AM? I'd never be able to get to sleep earlier (this is still true), and a hundred other reasons why it wouldn't work. And then I tried it, and it does work. I'm still sleep deprived, but that extra hour in the morning is a Godsend. I love it.
How do you Present Ideas to Yourself?
So why did it take me so long to "just do it?" Probably the way I presented the idea to myself. Notice I used words such as "never" and "already" as in "I'm already sleep deprived." I kept telling myself it wouldn't work, that it was a bad idea and until the first time I actually tried it, I secretly believed when the alarm rang, I'd just turn it off and go back to sleep. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy getting up early. Mornings are my best time of day. I'm the most productive in the morning so it makes sense to give myself an extra hour.
I Don't Have Time to Exercise
Sometimes a small adjustment in how you run your day can help enormously in freeing up some time for things like exercise. "I don't have time." I hear that a lot, but if asked, "What's your favorite TV show?" most people can list a few -- hours spent sitting and watching. There's nothing wrong with enjoying some TV, but there's also no reason you can't exercise during the commercials.
When I was a kid and it was my turn to clean the house, I made a game out of it. I loved TV, watching probably six or seven hours a day then, so missing a show to clean was not going to happen. So I'd clean during commercials. Today there are over 20 minutes of commercial time during each hour of the show. That's plenty of time for getting things done. As soon as the show broke for commercial, I'd jump from my chair and dash to wherever I'd left off. I'd bring in laundry and fold it while I watched. I'd iron in front of the TV, I'd bring in piles of miscellaneous debris from other rooms and sort it into piles for where it belonged, then on the next commercial I'd go put things away.
I'd move from one room to the next, carrying things that belonged there with me, and returning with things that did not. Eventually the house was clean, and hadn't missed my programs.
If you enjoy TV, consider how much time there is available during the commercials and start using it. Whether for exercise or cleaning, or anything else you need to get done: responding to correspondence, studying, paying bills, grooming the cat - there are lots of little chores we need to do, no reason we can't carry them into our TV room and get them done.
Turn TV Time into "Get Fit" Time
You can turn your TV room into a fitness room easily. A cushy floor mat, if the room isn't carpeted. A pair of dumbbells or two. Empty bleach jugs make good dumbbells, but be careful if they are only partially full of sand, dirt or water (whatever you use to fill them with something to create the weight), as if the weight shifts during the movement you could injure yourself.
Canned food make good homemade weights. I have half pound and one pound cans, heavier can may be too difficult to hold. Go on a scouting expedition around your house and see what you find that could work as weights then store them behind the couch and start using them. Twice a week or three times, consistently, and you'll start noticing a change within a short time - usually in a month or six weeks definitely.
My first exercise equipment was a pair of dumbbells, a one pound and a five pound set. You don't have to have a fully equipped home gym to exercise at home.
Push ups are an incredible exercise, men's and women's style. No special equipment needed, just get on the floor and start. Standing squats (pretend you are going to sit in a chair, then stop at about or before chair level, and return to standing straight). There are even books written for exercising on the commercial breaks. I put together a page with a few of the books I've found which present this concept such as "The Commercial Break Workout: Trim and Tone Two Minutes at a Time" by Linda Buch and Seth Anne Snider-Copley.
Grab some Extra Minutes and Get Started
I wanted to get up an hour earlier so I could work out in the mornings. When I exercise first thing, nothing else interferes. No matter what comes up, it doesn't take away from my fitness program. Unexpected calls or invitations, traffic jams, "There's no bread," yells my son who still thinks it's my job to keep the pantry stocked, so I need to run to the store, nothing ruins my day's plan to ride my bike or lift weights. The consistency of a regular exercise program just makes me feel good - you might find it does the same for you, and if you have had a difficult time finding time - make time. Grab some extra minutes during commercials on TV, get up earlier, find whatever works for you. Write it on your calendar, make a date with yourself, and get started. Kathryn Martyn, Master NLP Practitioner, EFT counselor, and author of Changing Beliefs, Your First Step to Permanent Weight Loss. Visit OneMoreBite-Weightloss.com to learn how she lost 80 pounds over 20 years ago and kept it off, and how you can do the same.
MORE RESOURCES:
|
Quit smoking, exercise regularly to stay away from cancerTimes of IndiaOne in three cancer deaths can be prevented through changing lifestyle habits, such as eating healthily, exercising regularly, not smoking and reducing alcohol consumption. It is pertinent to mention that World Cancer Day observed on February 4 is the ...and more » |
|
Can Exercise Be Addicting?Huffington PostBy Laura Schwecherl Think not getting enough exercise is the only problem Americans face? People who exercise too much may be troubled as well. When time is stripped from work, family, and friends to excessively exercise, addiction may be to blame. |
|
UConn men: Exercise in futilityJournal InquirerBy Neill Ostrout WASHINGTON — When the University of Connecticut was finishing laying bricks Wednesday night, its season had hit rock bottom. At least, the Huskies hope it can't get any worse than this. UConn suffered its fourth straight defeat ...and more » |
|
Exercise ideas: Getting fit like a footballerBoston.com (blog)With the Super Bowl coming up, I became curious about football exercises. What do the players do to keep in shape? When they are not on the field practicing, what types of moves do the Pats and Giants do? Since I've been looking for different things to ... |
Google News
|
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Is It Safe To Start An Exercise Program?
I think the real question is "How safe is it for you not to exercise?" Did you know that obesity has just replaced smoking as the number one cause of health related problems? That's incredible! Sorry to say, but that means we are a bunch of fat, inactive people! Back in the day when people milked cows and planted their own food for exercise, you would never hear of something like this. Think about that the next time you can't exercise because of a hard day at the office! O.
3 Exercises for Good Posture and a Six-Pack
These days many people spend a significant part of their day slaving away over a hot computer and as a result, their posture is not what it should be. Bad posture can result in short-term discomfort such as neck stiffness and headaches and also lead to more serious problems in later life.
Athletics and Winning
Athletics are pretty cut and dry in one regard; the goal to win. Having been in competitive athletics in a prior life I can certainly attest to that.
Got A Cold - Should You Work Out?
A recent study sponsored by the American College of Sports Medicine indicates that exercising moderately while you have a common cold doesn't affect the severity or duration of the symptoms.It's a widely excepted notion that exercising and keeping in shape will reduce your risk of getting sick, but nothing has been previously documented to demonstrate whether working out while suffering from a cold would reduce or intensify the symptoms.
Top 10 Mistakes To Avoid When Exercising the Abdominals
The abdominal muscles are essential for maintaining good posture and core stability, however many exercisers are unclear on the correct way to exercise them. Traditional exercises for the abdominals include crunches and sit-ups also known as trunk curls and curl-ups.
Success Versus Failure in the Exercise Department
Success is what you are prepared to make of yourself every single day. That one cold morning when you want to roll over but instead get up and go to workout, is a defining moment.
Workout Without a Gym
You may also have no access to a commercial gym, home gym or are on business trip, but there can be a solution, a strength-training workout without the need of expensive machines.As with any exercise, whether you are using your own body weight, machines or free weights, if the resistance doesn't increase, your muscles won't be worked to their maximum capacity and the stimulus these fibres need to grow will be missing.
A 30-minute, Or Less, Full Body Workout
Most people do not have the time to do biceps and back one day, then legs and shoulders the next, then triceps and abdominals the next day. So here is a short, and every effective full body weight session you can easily get done in 30 minutes or less.
Mom, How F.I.T.T. Is Your Workout?
Moms don't have the time or desire to mess around with complicated workouts that don't get results. If you want real Mommy Muscle you need a plan that's based on principles not infomercials and advertising.
Home Gym Workout Routines
Home gym workout routines can take the hassle out of staying healthy. How often have you claimed your busy schedule as the reason you could not get to the gym? How many times have you skipped a workout you knew would make you feel better because the fatigue of traffic and the pace of a gym with trainers were too much for your work weary mind?Well, say good bye to the excuses standing in your way because home gym workout routines are the answer for your busy schedule.
Unstable And Proud Of It! Power to the Push-Ups!
When I get finished teaching you this never-before-seen version of the push-up, you're going to think that either I'm crazy or a genius or both! Of course, the results you'll get from it will speak for themselves.First, we need to set the stage for this version of the push-up.
Struggling To Keep Your Workout Schedule? So am I!
Sometimes following a fitness program or workout schedule is not quite as do-able as the folks writing the advice make it sound. I suppose the idea is to tell you what you should be doing to achieve your fitness or weight-loss targets, but you know sometimes life gets a bit in the way of all these plans, and there is just no way you can follow your intended program.
Life Walking: Dont Walk Just For Exercise - Change Your Life
"Life walking" is more than walking for exercise and fitness objectives. It's the larger ideal of using walking to change your life.
Want a Flat Stomach? - Heres the Best Exercise
The best exercise for the stomach is probably not the one you're thinking of. It's not the traditional sit-up or ab crunch.
Weight Training: The Real Weight Loss Exercise
So you want to lose weight? Chances are, you'll spend the next few days "pigging out" while in the back of your mind you resolve that ..
How to Keep Your Body Fit
Fitness is just as imperative as health. As a matter of fact, fitness is linked directly with your health.
The Fundamentals of Pilates
There are people who are fond of getting an exercise for maintaining their body figure as well as to condition their body so to look healthier and sexy. Some do the swimming or others stay in the gym to get their ideal body figure.
6 Things A Norwegian Fable Teaches Us About Healthy Perseverance Part 2
4. Ideas, goals and dreams have a shelf life.
Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts: Part 4
Welcome to article number 4 in our series "Bodybuilding Sins That Cause Back Pain and Missed Workouts". In this article we are going to talk about how bodybuilders tend to create massive muscle imbalances and what you can do to not be one of them.
When to Exercise
Do you hit the gym in the morning, before your crazy working day, or you check it out late at night. It is hard to figure out what is best for you and what best fit in your busy life style, but with few tips you can make your lifting life much easier.
|
