Benefits of Regular Exercise : Including Small Exercises in Your Daily Routine
Regular exercise offers numerous advantages. It can help prevent health problems such as heart disease and high blood pressure, improve your mood and relieve stress, boost your energy, and sometimes even help you sleep better.
Doctors recommend adults receive a minimum of 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity and conduct strength training that works for the major muscle groups at least two days a week. There are, however, alternative strategies to increase physical activity outside of your usual workouts and get additional health benefits.
If you can’t fit a gym workout into your schedule, there are several other methods to get some exercise into your day. Preparing ahead of time will help you keep to a program that works for you, and exercise will soon become a natural part of your day.
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Here are a few ideas for incorporating fitness into your daily routine:
- Deskercise: Just because you work at a desk doesn’t mean you have to sit still. While reading emails or conversing on the phone, grab some hand weights and perform biceps curls and overhead extensions.
- Take the Scenic Route: Whether you ride your bike instead of driving, take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther away in the parking lot, or get off the bus or metro at a prior stop and walk the extra distance, you’ll receive more exercise. Everything adds up!
- Brisk Walks: Before you do practically anything else in the morning – including reading emails, showering, and other daily routines – go outside for some fresh air and a brisk walk around the neighborhood.
- Skip Happy Hour: Instead of going out for drinks with coworkers every other Friday, organize a game of Frisbee, soccer, or volleyball, or create a walking group and invite them along.
- Work Around the House: Housework can be an excellent method to burn calories. Vacuum, sweep, dust, and scour extensively throughout your home. Rather than driving the family cars to the car wash, wash them by hand. Finally, forego the landscaper and do your yard work and gardening.
- Take a Class After Work: As you travel home after a long day, make a short trip to your local fitness center to attend a group class. This break in your day, whether it’s yoga, dancing, or kickboxing, can be a terrific method to release tension after a long day at work.
- Make Use of the Technology Around: Set a timer to motivate yourself to get up and move if you are easily distracted by your everyday tasks. Make fitness time sessions in your schedule and create digital reminders to ensure you keep them. Try purchasing a Fitbit or an activity/exercise tracker to help you keep track of your progress and stay motivated.
- Don’t Let the TV Consume You: Arrange a treadmill, exercise bike, or a motorized stand for your bike, and fit in a workout while you watch television. Alternatively, make room in your home for floor exercises, weight lifting, or leg lifts with ankle weights while watching TV.
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Benefits of Small Exercises
Exercise may not be your idea of fun, but if it becomes a part of your daily routine by doing activities you already enjoy, you could find it’s not that bad after all.
Several studies have found that collecting exercise in small bursts of at least 10 minutes of activity throughout the day had similar impacts on a variety of health-related outcomes as undertaking the same exercise in one continuous bout.
One assessment of 19 studies including 1,080 participants revealed no changes in blood pressure or cardiorespiratory outcomes between cumulative and continuous exercise.
Furthermore, the scientists found that the two groups experienced equal advantages in terms of blood fat, insulin, and glucose levels.
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Conclusion
In today’s fast–paced world, it can be hard to find the time to fit in regular exercise. It’s important to make physical activity part of your daily routine to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Start small. You don’t have to start with a full–blown workout. Begin by adding small amounts of physical activity into your day.
One way to ensure that you are getting regular exercise is to set aside a specific time of day for it. This could be early in the morning, after work, or even during lunch. Scheduling a regular time for exercise will help you make it a habit, and you will be more likely to stick to it.
Another way to ensure that you are getting regular exercise is to find activities that you enjoy and make them a part of your routine. This could be something as simple as taking a walk or jogging around the block, or it could be a more structured activity such as yoga, weight training, or a sport. Whatever activity you choose, make sure it is something that you will look forward to and that fits into your daily schedule.
