If you follow regularly, you may remember that I gained weight during pregnancy, had surgeries shortly after, and then a small accident where I couldn't exercise to my normal ability. (I was limited walking at best for a while there.) Over the past 10 months, I've been working to lose the weight to return to normal. I had good success with Intermittent Fasting and modestly increasing my exercise with time. I am 6 pounds away from my target weight and hope to lose this remaining weight over the next several weeks. While I wish that my weight would have come off quicker, my strategy was to take it slow and steady in order to avoid hurting myself. I'm now up to running 2.5 miles and then walking another 3 miles every other day. I also alternate weight exercises. In today's post I will share some tips for how I have been packing extra exercise into my days for extra results that add up over time.
1. Have fun with cleaning sprees.
My children and I spend 20 minutes cleaning our house as quickly as possible. This includes everything - picking up toys, dusting, vacuuming, cleaning baseboards, and more. We turn on music and have fun while we clean. It's a win-win that our house is cleaner and that we pack extra exercise into our day!
2. Walk, run, or bike to school.
Instead of driving my son to school, we ride bikes, walk, or run. This is a great way to pack extra cardio into our day. Plus, it's an eco-friendly activity.
3. Share your highlights and lowlights on an evening walk.
My family often takes a walk in the evening to share the highlights and lowlights from our day. This is a great way to bond. We also burn some extra calories during these walks!
4. Take breaks throughout the day to complete 5 minute exercise challenges.
My job requires me to spend a lot of time sitting at my computer. However, I try to take breaks every couple of hours to complete 5 minutes of exercise. I alternate between hand weights, sit ups, leg lifts, squats, and more. I usually fit four of these 5 minutes sessions into my day which may not seem like a lot, but that is 20 minutes per day or 140 minutes per week!
5. Use Cubii while you work, watch tv, or sit for other tasks.
My husband, son, and I are all big fans of our Cubii. If you aren't familiar, Cubii is the original compact seated elliptical that lets you work out without sacrificing time. You are able to quick add more strides to your day, burn calories, lose weight, and boost energy, all while you sit. Track your workouts with the built-in LCD monitor. Cubii comes in three models. We have the Cubii Jr. They also have a nice little mat to put under your Cubii which I recommend because it is good quality and lightweight.
My husband uses our Cubii Jr. while he works. He appreciates that it's so quiet that he is even able to use it during teleconferences and no one notices. I use it while I watch tv in the evening. Again, it's quiet and smoothly fits into my routine. My son uses it while he works on homework. He's a high energy little guy who often fidgets while he works on homework, so the Cubii sessions are soothing to him. He seems to concentrate on his homework better while using our Cubii Jr. This makes sense since he also benefits from sitting on a wiggle chair or ball chair at school as an outlet for his fidgeting.
If you don't have a Cubii Jr. yet, visit their website here to learn more. It's really nice because this compact exercise equipment is great quality, but without being too heavy or taking up too much space. It fits into our daily routines and we consider it a bonus opportunity to burn extra calories.
I hope that these tips help you to pack extra exercise into your day. I'm a believer of how small things may add up quickly!
