You Can Find the Time to Stay Fit

With all that competes for your attention, and all of your daily and weekly responsibilities, is there not a moment to spare?

Among meeting planners, you hear the lament that there is seemingly little time to stay in shape.

By engaging in a few simple measures, you can stay fit while barely breaking your stride. How, you wonder? You overturn a long-term habit regarding TV viewing.

Your Exercise Command Center

Here are several ideas for staying fit, having a nice time while doing so, and hence experiencing all benefits that exercise provides:

1. Work out as they work out - If you sit and watch football games all weekend, while consuming whatever snack is on hand, reverse the calorie equation! Rather than watching 25-year-old millionaires prance around as you are gaining weight, work out while you watch sports.

2. Assemble your free weights - Five to 15 pounds will suffice. When you hoist up 10-pound weights, for example, one hundred times, you’ve lifted 1000 pounds. Tremendous benefits accrue, while not missing a single touchdown. Repeat the exercise every few minutes and you're up to 2000, 3000, or even 4000 pounds, more than your automobile weighs. You’ll feel toned the next day, you’ll have more energy, and you’ll be primed to do it all again in a few more days.

3. Lie on the floor - On your back, while you’re watching sports or maybe a movie, do floor exercises, such as squats, leg raises, and bicycles. When exercising on the floor, and looking up to the television screen, the exercises do not seem so tedious.

4. Stretching for health - Stretching also offers many benefits. You can easily stretch during any show, and even during commercials. You can heighten your stretches with a bungee cord, physical straps, or other devices.

5. Run for your life - While you watch TV, run in place or jog lightly around the room. If you stay in motion for at least a few minutes, you’ll feel quite limber and burn some calories.

Apart from the TV

As you guessed, away from your living room, opportunities to stay fit abound:

6. Walk this way - Maybe you can walk in the morning before work, or walk in the evening after work. Maybe you can walk around lunch time.

7. Park farther away - When feasible, park a little farther from store entrances and other destinations. An extra stroll or two per week will make a difference.

8. Sign up today - Take an exercise class at the health club, local YMCA, or gym. When you spend money for a class, you are likely to attend.

9. Buddy up - Find a workout buddy. Scheduling your exercise time together increases your chances of sticking with the program.

10. Take flight - Take the stairs rather than the elevator!

You Call the Shots

Even if you have a hectic schedule, you have the ability to replace old behaviors and to adopt new ones to stay fit. As they say on TV, go for it!