1. I put aside time for the gym.
Sometimes I never make it to the gym because I’m having one of those days but I really do try to go as often as I can.
I have a regular “gym time”. For me that’s 3:30pm. I chose this time because 3:30 is about when I start to get bored of working. It’s right in the middle of the afternoon and is the perfect time to break up my day with some activity.
Your workout doesn’t have to be cardio.
Not all of my exercises involve cardio, and not even all of them involve the gym. A few times a week I do some bodyweight exercises right in my home! It’s super easy and only takes like 30 minutes.
Sound cool? Check out the NerdFitness body weight workout.
2. I walk everywhere.
My husband and I don’t even own a car because it’s so easy to get around Cambridge. But I take this one step further by never getting the bus into town. I walk everywhere.
- Going to the store? I walk.
- Grabbing coffee? I walk.
- Heading into town? I walk.
- Going to the bank? I walk.
To be fair, this is easier for me since I live pretty close to the centre of town (it’s a 15 minute walk) so walking is so easy for me. But even if you’re not quite as well positioned as I am, you can still take this to heart.
- Always take the stairs.
- If you can walk, then do it!
3. I’m intentionally inefficient.
This probably sounds weird, but I purposely make my shopping trips inefficient. By that I mean I don’t combine all of my tasks into one trip.
Let’s say I have to do the following in one day:
- Get a coffee
- Grab lunch
- Pick up food for dinner
- Buy a snack for later
- Go to the post office
I could easily get all those done in one trip. The post office is on the way to Starbucks, which is on the way to the grocery store. I could easily hit all of those in one trip.
But I don’t.
Instead, my day might look like this:
- Go to the post office.
- Grab a coffee.
- Head home.
- Work.
- Go back out and grab lunch.
- Work.
- When I get hungry, I walk to the store and grab food for a snack.
- Work.
- When it nears dinner time, I walk back to the store to buy groceries for dinner.
Multiple outings allows me to get more steps in, but also breaks up my day.
I force myself to make multiple trips, which gives me more periods of “activity”.
But also, I love how these outings break up my day. Sometimes I can’t stand to just work for 8 hours straight. I need something to break up the monotony and keep me alert. These quick little 15 minute outings every few hours are PERFECT!
Ahaha I love this post, Ashley! I’m starting college this month and I definitely will need to remind myself to go out and work out. Although, college students walk everyyywhere too and my campus is pretty big. I actually like working out though since I’m accustomed to doing 8 hours of dance a week. Unfortunately, I’m not continuing with dance in college, but I like doing 20 minutes of running (I’m okay with running in public or on the treadmill) and then 40 minutes of pilates or weights. I think for me, exercising at least 3 days a week is okay, but I always try to go for more than 3. It’s SO important to find time to exercise especially if your job is sitting at a desk all day.
Thanks for sharing your workout routine, Ash!
Thanks Jen!
It sounds like you’ve got an awesome routine! I stayed super fit at my first college without even trying because it was a massive and HILLY campus. I walked everywhere and up/down huge hills!
Loving this post! I have just gone back to exercising again after a year of stopping it. I usually exercise at 9 or 10 pm. I just have energy at night so those times work for me. I wish I didn’t stop it!
It’s so great that you’ve found a time that works for you Angel!
A lot of people work out first thing in the morning and I just can’t do that.
I have an exercise bike, so I try to use it 30min a day at least 4 days a week. I do it at night so I can shower afterwards and then go to bed. Don’t want to do it before work and get all tired, and then have to go work 8 hours. I also read whatever book I’m in the middle of while I’m on the bike. So I might not go as fast as if I wasn’t reading, but I tend to work out longer if I’m reading than otherwise. Since I get bored if I just sit there and pedal!
I’m not close enough to my job to walk to work anymore, but up until this past year I would walk 30min each way to work and home again. Now if I were to do that, it would take me more like an hour and a half each way. Since I can’t do that anymore, I make myself inefficient at home. If I need to add something to the grocery list in the kitchen downstairs, as well as bring dirty dishes down there, or fill up my water bottles for work the next day. I will go downstairs and do one thing then go back up the stairs, do something on my computer, then do the next task downstairs and so on until I’m done with my list. Not as good as walking an hour 5 days a week, but it’s more stairs than I would have done plus the bike.
I’m much the same, though I switch between walking and bicycling. When I’m good (which I’m not right now) I roll my yoga mat out near my computer and as I get bored throughout the day, it will catch my eye and I’ll stand up to stretch or do a few weight bearing exercises.
That is so wonderful that you are able to walk to your errands! Yay you for being so active! I live further out of town, so that isn’t an option. But I try to do one of these daily – either speed-walk with my kiddos in their joggling stroller or I use my elliptical when they go to bed at night or I do a horrible Jillian Michael’s video. I say that they are horrible because they make me yell very bad words at my tv and I want to curl up into a ball and die haha BUT they are extremely. =D
I work on my house a lot – while I listen to audiobooks. I also exercise – cardio and Pilates classes. Pilates is expensive so you can be sure I go there.
Also, I don’t snack while I blog and usually not while I read. When I eat dinner I may read if I am eating alone.
And if I do snack it is usually fruit or veg. Second a couple of crackers and some non fat cheese.
I know how hard you work but I can’t help being jealous that you get to work from home and set your own schedule! If I broke things up like that I would never have time to do anything extra! LOL
Hubby and I have been pretty consistent lately with working out 5-6 days a week for about 40 minutes…but I don’t get home until about 6:30 or 7…so we’re not eating dinner until 8ish which is also bad but I guess it’s better than the only other alternative which would be working out at 6am before work! lol
I had a few of those days of not going to the gym. My husband and I are trying to get back into the routine — we both need it. 🙂
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I walk wherever I can now unless I have to go to the studio I freelance at, then I have to catch a 40mins bus ride. I always take a 10-15 min walk on breaks too while I’m at the studio. I’ve definitely become more active at home and on the weekends, they tend to be my “down time” but now I make the effort to get up and go out. Plus I live in the centre of my town so all the shops are on my doorstep, and like you I’ve started to make multiple trips for things.
That’s an awesome way to stay active!! Love your schedule. I’m a work at home/stay at home mom. I just started to home school this year too and I try to break up classes with some jumping jacks or sit ups. It gets the kids energy out as well and give me some extra exercise. .
It’s a great idea to break up your day with multiple outings. I work at an office and I have to drive to work and I really miss being able to set my own schedule.
I don’t work out. At all! And it drives my dad mad! He’s a fitness addict, and he constantly grumbles how I always sit in one place either on my computer, reading, doing school work or writing.
But I think I get my work out from school. I am the kind of person who’s in every possible club and project, and most of the time, I spend the whole day walking up and down the stairs going from one place to another *sighs* It makes up to all the sitting I guess!:)
Maybe you should get one of those fitness bands that count your steps so you can see how many you get in! 🙂
But you sound exactly how I was in high school and college (and still am some/most of the time). My parents always grumbled about how much time I spent sitting on my computer.
I wish I lived close enough to things to walk everywhere. It’s one of the downsides of most places in America though that things are farther out, especially when you live in suburban areas. I have a daughter, so she keeps me busier, but I like to take breaks. I’m horrible out of shape so I’m redoing my core, but I like to do yoga and PiYo during her naps, and then we dance and move throughout the day. I also just got a balance ball to help rebuild my core, so I switch it out and sit on it instead of my desk chair three or four times a day for half an hour or so. Now that it’s starting to cool down, the mosquitos are leaving the area so we are also going to start taking walks each day. I need more vitamin D, and she needs fresh air. I hate the mosquitos here though. Living so close to the water sucks. They don’t just come out at the evenings either, it’s an all day affair with these suckers. I’m super nervous about it too because last August, not even 20 minutes from here, four were tested with West Nile virus. *shudder*
Heh, I stopped working out after cross country in middle school. My knee was giving me problems and I realized I didn’t actually like being active anyway. I’m starting college too and thinking that just walking around campus will be enough for me- it’s more than I did before, that’s for sure. And I agree; always take the stairs.
My biggest work work-out working at a standing desk. I love it because it makes me feel more productive, even though I’m just typing away at a computer. I sit down in meetings (some days more than others) but it’s interesting how just 5 or 10 minutes of sitting refreshes me.
It’s definitely not cardio (which I need more of) but I feel so much better that I’m not sitting all day any more 🙂