Living a healthy lifestyle is more popular than ever these days. Eating ‘clean’ and engaging in regular exercise is something a lot of people incorporate into their daily lives. However, for many of us, fitting a daily gym session into our daily life can be challenging. If you’re working a full-time job, looking after your family and running the home, time is not always available in abundance. Many of us also simply value our sleep too much to be getting up at 5am for the gym! But, opportunities to exercise are actually all around us – if we only look for them.
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Cycling
Replacing your daily commute in your car to a bicycle journey can have a dramatic impact on your health. Cycling is a low-impact exercise, meaning that you don’t put your joints or muscles at risk by overexerting yourself. It is also cardiovascular, which means it will improve your overall fitness and help you lose weight. In fact, an hour of cycling can burn up to 500 calories. If you want to up your game, try biking out of the saddle. This style of ‘mountain biking’ has many benefits, including improving your core strength. Plus, cycling can actually save you time. How many times have you been stuck in gridlock on the way to work? If you’re on a bike, simply glide right past all the cars – your boss will love you for it! Before buying, make sure you find out more information so you can find the bike that’s right for you.
Walking
A severely underrated form of exercise, walking to places you wouldn’t normally walk to is a great way to move more. Like cycling, walking is low impact, meaning it’s suitable for people of all ages and fitness levels. Getting outside for a walk can also be great for your mental health. Spending time outdoors and in nature can be a brilliant natural mood booster, and the exercise you’ll be doing will also release endorphins. Try going for a brisk half hour walk on your lunch and you may come back feeling refreshed. If you work from home, try walking to your local shop instead of driving there (providing it’s not too far away). It might not feel like much exercise, but it all adds up – and you will be burning more calories than you may think.
Aerobic exercises
The word ‘exercise’ may throw up images of running a marathon,or sweating it out with heavy weights in the gym. In reality, you don’t need specialist training or equipment to be able to get a good workout. Using your own bodyweight is in fact often enough to give you a great workout, providing you’re doing the right exercises. Try seeing where you can fit some movement into your daily routine, even if it is in the most unexpected places. See how many squats you can do whilst waiting for your toast to pop up out the toaster. Run, instead of walk, up your stairs, and try some leg raises while lazing about on the sofa. There are plenty of opportunities for exercise available if you get a little imaginative!
