For our first weekly challenge we are challenging you to add in 30 minutes of activity into your day. If you already workout for more than 30 minutes a day, way to go! But that does not mean you cannot partake in this challenge. Here is why: exercise is a great way to build lean muscle and burn calories to reduce body fat. However, 30 + minutes of exercise activity does not make up for 9+ hours of sitting for the rest of the day. So, try to eek in 3o minutes of NEAT (non exercise activity thermogenesis) by parking further way, taking the stairs, walking the terminals on your breaks, pacing/walking while you are on the phone instead of sitting down or set an alarm on your computer/phone to cue you to stand every 45 minutes (even if you cannot walk around, you can do 10 squats before returning to the task at hand).
Now, if you currently do not exercise there are simple and easy tricks to sneak in 30 minutes of exercise that is not overwhelming. Check out our tips below to see what will work best for you!
1. Break it up: do 10 minutes in the morning, 10 minutes before or after lunch and 10 minutes before or after dinner. You can walk for all of these or break it up and walk for 2 of the 10 minute stints and add some sculpting moves in for the other 10 minutes such as squats, lunges, push ups (incline or on your knees is fine too), crunches etc.
2. Perform 15 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes in the evening
3. Enlist a friend to keep you company/accountable. Instead of going our for coffee or beer, do something active together instead and then relax.
4. Complete all 30 minutes at once:
– Ride your bike to the store or around your neighborhood/nearest park.
– Walk and try to add some hills or stairs if you can.
– Walk and Jog. Walk for 5 minutes, jog for 1. repeat 5x until you have reached 30 minutes.
– Warm up for 5-10 minutes. Then complete 10-15 minutes of heart pumping, sculpting cardio moves such as jumping jacks, jump rope, mountain climbers, sit ups, walking lunges etc. End with a 5-10 minute cool down.
The possibilities are endless so try not to over-think it. Just make the commitment for the week, stick to it and you will reap the feel good benefits! Let us know how you did on our Facebook page!
*image by Photostock