Boost Activity: Quick Tips for Busy Schedules

Exercise Benefits and Overcoming Time Constraints

Exercise is key to improving heart, bone and muscle health, along with regulating blood sugar, mood and sleep. However, when life gets busy, finding time for regular exercise may seem like a challenge. Finding time for physical activity can indeed be a challenge in the midst of work, family obligations and social commitments. But don’t let these hurdles stop you. Fitness experts have simple strategies to ensure you get your daily dose of exercise, no gym required.

Simple Strategies to Prioritize Exercise

Fitness experts and personal trainers emphasize the importance of incorporating movement into your day even when you’re super busy. This not only ensures steady blood sugar, but also aids in better sleep, mood improvement and stronger muscles and bones. It significantly lowers the risk of heart disease, weight gain, and cancer.

Physical activity guidelines focus on weekly rather than daily goals. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous physical activity per week, along with two weekly muscle-strengthening sessions.

If managing this seems difficult, remember that even smaller amounts of physical activity can still be beneficial. Everyday activities like mowing the lawn, gardening, dancing, walking or biking to work, and even short bursts of activity like doing 10 pushups before your morning coffee count towards your daily exercise.

Exercise Tips from Personal Trainers and Fitness Experts

To help you accumulate those exercise minutes, personal trainers and fitness experts have shared their top strategies for integrating more movement into your day, even during hectic schedules. Here are their top recommendations:

1. Use a Standing Desk and Walking Pad

Emma Graves, a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, recommends the use of a standing desk with a walking pad. This low-intensity cardio activity can significantly increase your daily step count and is perfect for multitasking. If you’re not desk-bound, a standing desk or a walking pad can still be excellent ways to squeeze in activity. Research has found that standing desks may reduce insulin resistance and improve vascular function while walking has numerous health benefits, including improving sleep and mental health and reducing the risk of disease.

2. Turn Social Time into a Workout

Graves suggests integrating physical activities with friends into your schedule if you’re a social butterfly. Maybe it’s an evening walk, a swim, or a game of volleyball, pickleball or tennis. These activities not only help you burn calories and strengthen your body, but they also enable you to have fun and connect with others.

3. Integrate Small Movement and Stretching Breaks

Physical therapist Devin Trachman, DPT recommends scheduling short breaks throughout your day for stretching, posture exercises, and strength-based movements. These can include planks, squats, and heel raises. Even small amounts of activity may significantly benefit your health.

4. Time It Right

Trachman emphasizes that exercise habits are more likely to stick when they fit well with your lifestyle. If you’re more likely to get an uninterrupted workout at 5 a.m. rather than 5 p.m., make it happen early. Or, if you prefer winding down with an after-dinner walk rather than sitting on the couch, lean into it.

5. Try “Exercise Snacks”

“Exercise snacks” are short bursts of movement that take just a minute or two at a time. They are time-efficient and effective, especially when integrated throughout the day. Studies show that exercise snacks can improve cardiovascular endurance and metabolic health.

6. Walk and Talk

Graves suggests that stacking new habits like walking more on top of existing ones, like taking a work call, can be helpful. If you have to take a call, consider doing it while moving. This could mean catching up with family and friends while walking outside or pedaling on a stationary bike.

Our Expert Take

Regular movement offers numerous benefits for your physical and mental health. However, finding time for exercise can be challenging when you’re busy. But, with strategic planning, the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity doesn’t necessarily require a trip to the gym. Fitness experts suggest using a standing desk, taking regular “exercise snacks”, or meeting friends for a game instead of drinks. They also emphasize the importance of finding the best time of day that works with your busy schedule to ensure you stay strong and active.