Fitness Tips
Exercise is always an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Not only does it protect us from diseases, it also enables us to use up more calories - essential for healthy weight loss.
But with busy lives and hectic schedules, finding extra time for regular trips to the gym is just not possible for many of us. If this is true for you, try some of these practical ideas to get you moving…
- Walk more. Allow a little extra time in the mornings so you can park your car further from work or walk to a bus stop or train/tube station further away. (Wear comfortable shoes and carry smart ones if necessary.)
- Take the stairs. Climbing stairs is a great way to burn calories. Use stairs instead of lifts wherever possible and walk, don’t stand, on escalators.
- Clean the house. You can really work up a sweat cleaning the house, so add some leg lunges as you go round with the hoover, do squats while you’re dusting and polishing and use big arm movements on mirrors and windows!
- Dance. You don’t have to go out to dance and you can really let loose in the privacy of your own home. So draw the curtains, turn up the music and get boogying!
- Play with the kids. Games like ‘it’, football or frisbee will have you running around – and the kids will love it.
- Don’t just stand (or sit) there! You’ll be surprised how many opportunities there are to squeeze in a few exercises like squats, lunges or tricep dips (the antidote to bingo wings). Brushing your teeth, watching TV, or even while you’re in the kitchen cooking! Around 20 at a time is plenty.
- Work those abs. See if you can do at least 20 stomach crunches when you get up or before you go to bed (or both). It only takes a couple of minutes!
And if you can remember to HOLD YOUR STOMACH IN - especially when doing any of the exercises or activities mentioned here - it’ll work your abdominals, make you look slimmer and help your posture.
