The COVID-19 lockdown has reminded many of us that you don’t need New Year’s Eve to establish new priorities in your life. Many people have re-established their connections to nature, taking long walks that may have faded from memory before the crisis began. Others have dusted off their neglected home exercise equipment dedicated an hour a day to get in shape.
However, with and without lockdown measures, modern lives are busy. We fill up the day with work, chores, projects, cooking, and time-erasing entertainment. So, how do you maintain a healthy workout routine when your life seems too busy to do so?
Here are some tips for starting an exercise routine or sneaking one in when your life seems to busy to do so.
One strategy involves becoming more efficient in your exercise style. Often recommended are styles called interval training or a similar strategy called Tabata training. There is also a popular option known as the Seven-Minute Workout.
Interval training
This style of training combines various exercises. A very common form of this is a jogging path that also includes chin-up bars, rope climbs, and other options.
Tabata training
This is similar to interval training. With this style, you combine two times of exercises, say pushups combined with jumping jacks. You do jumping jacks for 20 seconds, then take a 10-second rest and then do the pushups for 20 seconds. After a few cycles of this, you switch to two other exercises, still keeping with the 20 second/10 second routine.
Seven-Minute Workouts
This routine involves doing twelve different activities for 30 seconds then taking a 10-second break between each one. The specific exercises can vary, but one standard seven-minute routine includes jumping jacks, wall sits, push-ups, abdominal crunches, step-ups using a chair, squats, triceps dips using a chair, plank, running in place with high steps, lunges, push-ups with rotations and side planks.
Other tips:
Do what you love
If you find it difficult to even think of exercising, try getting a workout through something you love. Maybe you enjoy a game of tennis. As long as you exercise at least three times a week, you should be all right.
Take any Motivation you can find
Don’t worry about motivation. Anything that works is perfectly acceptable. Maybe you just enjoy the company you can find at the gym. If that helps get you there, don’t argue with it. Say thanks and get to the gym.
Make a Schedule
Some people need a routine they can stick to. If so, put exercise down as a priority and don’t let other distractions derail your routine.
Stairs Instead of Elevators
This idea involves more than just avoiding elevators when possible. There are many ways to include exercise in your daily life. Try parking at the farthest reaches of the parking lot rather than parking as close to the store as possible.
If you are just beginning an exercise regime and need advice, call the FXRX clinic in Tempe, Arizona, for an appointment. Dial 480-449-FXRX.
