Healthy Weight Loss

It’s time to start feeling great, and that starts today with exercise!

In part 4 of 6 steps to getting lean and healthy, we’ll be discussing exercising with a busy schedule. Yes you do have time to feel your best and be full of energy, it just takes a little strategy. If you haven’t read part 1, part 2, or part 3 yet, you can get caught up using the links below.

#4 Exercise

Truth bomb: if you’re not moving around daily, you’re putting yourself at risk for chronic disease such as heart disease and diabetes. And that just adds to your stress level. I don’t want you sitting at the office stressed and then stressed even more about your health. So what can you do?

Start moving lady! Even a little bit at a time throughout the day will make a huge difference in how you feel. The best part, it doesn’t have to be planned, and you don’t have to go to the gym to get it. Sad truth though, even if you exercise for an hour a day but sit the rest of the time, you’re in no better shape in terms of your health. So let’s get up and move around regularly so that you’re feeling great, refreshed, less stressed, more productive, and can leave (sneak) out of the office early because you’ve accomplished your to-do list in record time.

Physical activity vs. exercise. I’m sure you’ve heard these 2 words thrown around interchangeably. They are different. Physical activity is any time you’re moving your body. Exercise is planned and coordinated movement of your body. Examples of physical activity are gardening or cleaning your house. Examples of exercise are walking, running, and lifting weights. However, both get you moving and using your body so the terminology is not all that important for our purposes.

Tabata is your friend. High intensity interval training (HIIT) is a quick and easy way to burn calories and get in a good workout when you’re short on time. With HIIT, you work hard for a specific amount of time followed by rest for the same amount of time or less. You can be done with your workout in under 30 minutes using this type of exercise. Perfect for a busy schedule. Even shorter on time? Do a tabata workout, in 4 minutes you’ve worked up a sweat and got in your exercise for the day. With tabata, you work hard for 20 seconds and rest for 10, doing that 8 times. Then you’re done and off on your merry way. But of course you want to warm up and cool down properly, so maybe it takes you 10-12 minutes total, TOTAL! That’s it! (Always consult with your physician before starting an exercise program)

Move throughout the day. As I said above, if you exercise, but you sit all day, you’re still at risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. It’s the sad reality. Our bodies weren’t meant for sitting all day, but we do it. Mostly for work, at least 8 hours (probably more like 10-12), but also when we commute to work, and then lounge on the couch in the evening after a long day. And not moving probably doesn’t help with your stress either. So here’s what you can do. Get up every couple hours and walk around for a few minutes. Use the bathroom on a different floor than your office, and get to meet others in your office. You could even just do some quick stretches at your desk, but break up that sitting time. Your body will thank you. When you’re at home, do some lunges on the way to the bathroom instead of walking or 20 jumping jacks during commercials of your fave shows. Even those little things can have a big impact, plus they aren’t completely disrupting your life. You’re already doing those activities anyway.

Make sure you’re resting. Rest is important and helps your body recover to get the results you want. There is such a thing as over-training so listen to your body. If you’re tired, sore, or not all there to get in a workout, take a break. You can do some light activity like a short walk instead. But that recovery time is essential to get the body you want. And before you even go there, just ditch the guilt about “skipping” a workout. There’s no point in being mean to yourself.

I believe it’s possible to be busy and successful in your career AND take care of your body and improve your health. It’s not “either” “or” but AND! The best part about it, it can be simple and it can fit your schedule. No need to over-complicate the simple things. Like we discussed at the beginning, both you and I want to feel our best and have more energy than ever before.

In part 5 of this series, we’ll be discussing sleep and stress management since they both go hand-in-hand and affect how you’re able to transform how you look and feel.

Now it’s time to take your next step!