Ways to be active in your every day life

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I’m not sure about you, but I can’t tell you how many times, at the end of a busy week, I look back and realize that I have completely neglected exercise.   That Gillian Michaels DVD from 2010? Untouched in the DVD player.  The gym membership I *meant* to get and *meant* to use…yeah…I’m still meaning to do that.
I knew I needed to get more creative in order to incorporate a greater amount of activity in my routine, so I reached out to my friend Scott Wojtas for some ideas.  Scott has been a personal trainer and has a great little book about getting healthy that really encouraged my husband.  Most of all, he makes being active look FUN.
The following are a few of his recommendations that I could start right away:
  • Double dipping. Walk to the grocery store with the stroller and walk the groceries back.  Take the long way home to get a few extra laps in.
  • Rebounding. It’s a small trampoline (I found one at target for $31 – bonus if you find one on craigslist of OfferUp for cheaper) that you bounce on at home and it helps tone muscle, challenge heart and lungs, and stimulates the lymphatic system.  Plus, the kids will love bouncing on it too! 
  • Incorporate exercises with your kids I used to have a client that would bring her kids to sessions. I’d have her carry her kid and do lunges. Use the smaller kid to do squat and press. Plank hold and the kids would climb underneath.  
  •  Become a kid. Play tag with them. Take a ball and run around. Kids want to move so might as well move with them.
  • Time Crunch Take 3-4 exercises and do several circuits of those exercises, with no or minimal breaks. You can get a 15-20 minute workout that will produce similar results to an hour-long session.
  • Fit Wives Club Exercising is easier with friends. Grab 1-2 extra moms and walk to the park together. Get together to trade off babysitting and do your 20-minute circuit workout uninterrupted.  Instead of meeting up for coffee, meet at a park and push your kids on the swings. Be active with others!
These tips not only got me moving but started to change my mindset as well.  I found myself becoming more aware of adding activity to my day, no matter how small.  I got a Fitbit (on sale at Marshalls!) to track my movement and water intake.  I started to go on more long walks with the twins.  Would you believe that I even got ol’ Jillian out and gave her CD a go after all of these years?!
My hope is that these recommendations from Scott give you a jumpstart, too!