…10 reasons yoga is better than the gym…

It is difficult to identify the best exercise that will suit your lifestyle. Various workouts have different benefits to the human body. The best workout session is the one that will benefit the body, physically, emotionally and mentally. Moreover due to a number of reasons someone may be unable to perform a workout they desire. For example, if one has fractured bones they may find it difficult to do vigorous gym exercise. A great workout is one that doesn’t involve body straining. The following are 10 reasons why yoga is better than the gym.

1 Yoga Benefits the Body both Internally and Externally
Yoga involves twisting, folding and stretching practices which are good for the lymph, digestive, and circulatory system. Moreover, it improves the cardiovascular system as well as detox the body. On the other hand, gym exercises are only focused on boosting cardio and muscle strengthening.

2 Yoga is for Everyone
You can practice yoga, despite your age and health status. Also, yoga is beneficial to people suffering from some health ailment like Parkinson cancer. The gym is not therapeutic in any way.

3 Yoga Improves Concentration
While practicing yoga you focus on the gaze, breath, and posture turning away outside distractions. While at the gym it’s difficult to focus due to distraction like wild music.

4 Yoga can be Practiced Anywhere
You can not only practice yoga in the yoga studio, it can be practiced at home or at in an open space. A gym workout requires workout equipment and space.

 

5 Yoga Aids in Stress Reduction
A number of yoga classes involve meditation that enables the mind clear stress. The gym competitive nature in presence of loud music is likely to increase stress than reduce it.

6 Yoga Eases Pains and Aches
Most of the times when you go to the gym you come out with pains in various body parts. This is different when one practices yoga you slowly stretch muscles without strains or injuries.

7 Yoga Teaches Acceptance

Yoga focuses on self-acceptance and self-improvement. When unable to do something in the gym one is likely to feel inadequate.

8 Yoga is Effective
In yoga workout, you rely on your own strength and body. In the gym, you have to use equipment for exercising.

9 Yoga is Easy to Continue
In a yoga class, you experience meditation, concentration, and satisfaction which make you eager for the next lesson. When unable to lift weights or run for miles you may think of quitting.

10 Yoga is Cheap
Yoga workout doesn’t require much, all you need is mat flexible clothes and small space. On the other hand, you need gym equipment, shoes, and even pay a gym instructor for guidance.

In conclusion, yoga works out is preferable when compared to the gym. It’s not only easy and cheap but also healthy. Gym exercise is quiet involving and hard especially for a beginner. For a great workout experience, yoga is a great option. This is because it stretches your muscles and stabilizes your emotions.

…Do it for You, Do it for Them…

Your health won’t wait until you make that New Year’s resolution to lose weight. If you’re overweight or obese, you are already experiencing degrading health. Waiting for some inspirational moment and social contract to get physically healthy not only delays your wellness, but typically results in non-commitment.

Why do we need to start now?

Nearly 40% of us U.S. adults are obeseThink about that for a second.

That’s not a few pounds, but a 20% BMI increase in a person’s body weight. This extra weight wreaks havoc on the body and introduces many potential health issues.

Physical Health Problems with Obesity

The physical trauma obesity causes to the body includes:

  • Increased chance to develop heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and bone/joint issues
  • High blood pressure and a bigger strain on the heart and arteries
  • Sleep apnea and other respiratory problems
  • Variety of cancers in the breasts, colon, gallbladder, and uterus

All very real problems that continue to develop as the pounds keep adding on.

Shockingly enough, physical problems to the body aren’t enough to encourage people to make healthy lifestyle changes – sometimes it needs to hit close to home.

Example: Being too large to enjoy the little things in life, like attending a movie premiere or needing constant breaks when touring a theme park or shopping.

Take this information to heart because it’s never too late to start changing your health.

Committing to Change and Seeing Results

Weight comes off if you’re in a daily caloric deficit. It means you’re getting enough nutrients but cutting your suggested calories. One less snack or replacing it with a healthy one sounds simple enough, right?

Easier said than done.

First thing’s first, you need to remove vices which cause health problems of their own or exacerbate the issues with the probable high blood pressure associated with obesity. This means setting a quit date and using patches/gum to quit smoking or attending an alcohol detox center to cut the drinking.

Then, you need to create goals and milestones:

  1. Write out why you want to lose weight.
  2. Set a date for reaching your goal weight (and associate it with a big event, like a wedding)
  3. Find a plan that works for your body and level of commitment
  4. Browse the Web and local mailers to find grocery deals (to save on the startup costs)
  5. Start, today, by finding simple wins like drinking one less soda or including 5-minute exercises

You will slip up and weight will come back but that’s just how it goes. Make a commitment to a lifestyle change versus seeing it as a diet & exercise routine.

It’s not all about physical health, though, because losing weight and getting in shape also improves your mental health.

Mental Health and Self-Confidence

A healthy body will have the energy and stamina to participate in activities. If your mind immediately went to sports that’s okay but think about the other little moments you’d wish to do:

  • Talking your child down the wedding aisle.
  • Traversing the world and going on long hikes.
  • Generally feeling comfortable in public.

You fidget around, tugging at your shirt to stretch it, so your weight isn’t obvious. You feel like eyes are on you always.

It’s amazing what happens when your BMI settles back to normal levels.

  • You feel comfortable and relaxed, making it easier to be social
  • You have the energy to get out of the house versus taking “a rain check”
  • You’ve accomplished goals and use that routine building on other challenges

Physical activity also improves your mental well-being. You’ll feel this as the pounds shed. It’ll create a compounding benefit to keep you motivated and happy.

Conclusion

It’s great that our society shuns body weight shaming but let’s not kid ourselves: obesity causes health problems. You know the importance of getting healthy, but the challenge remains. If you ever feel like you can’t do it for yourself then just think about doing it for them.

Be there for those special life moments – do so by getting healthy.

 

…The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly Diets…

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Losing weight is and always will be a big deal, which is why so many diets exist. Seriously, there are thousands and the number is growing with each passing day. It’s worth noting that not all of them are terrible weight loss programs designed to harm the body. For the most part, there are some excellent guidelines which are healthy and productive. However, some diets need avoiding at all costs because they provide short-term, reversible results. To do that, you need to understand the dynamics of good, bad, and ugly diets.

Here are the things to consider.

The Good: It Has Balance

A decade ago the Atkins Diet become popular, the reason being it cut out carbs and focused on eating meat. Then, studies began to suggest that although it did help lose weight, a person would pile on the pounds once they quit. Since then, the WHO has also re-categorized red meat as a potential cause of cancer. On the whole, the balance of this diet is not correct and doesn’t help from a long-term point of view. The one you choose should mix healthy food with exercise and the occasional treat to maintain motivation.

The Bad: It Guarantees Results

Whatever you take from this post, make sure it is this: successful weight loss programs don’t make guarantees! Dieting is a personal journey which requires time, patience and determination. To imply losing weight is a one-size fit all policy is misleading. Therefore, a diet which promises results is overcompensating. A quick look at the schedule or the small print should indicate it’s a fraud. The way scam diets work is they offer features which are too good to be true to stop people from analyzing the program. As a rule, always avoid deals which are not realistic.

The Ugly: It Has A Bullying Culture

Sadly, some diets are thoroughly nasty. The people who take part and those in charge will tell you it’s a necessary motivational tool. How else can they get the participants to see the error of their ways? In truth, the leaders create a culture of fear which entraps people by playing with their state of mind. Even the idea of quitting is off the table because it’s for the weak and you want to be strong. They are few and far between, but they do exist so keep a close eye out. If you are going to join a program, make sure they use positive reinforcement rather than drill-sergeant tactics.

The Conclusion:

As a novice, working out which diets are helpful and which are a hindrance is never straightforward. After all, you are not an expert. If you were, you wouldn’t need to be on a diet in the first place! However, the good news is they all have indicators which stand out when you delve deeper. By checking out the eating schedule, for example, you can tell whether the balance is right. Also, you can see past the PR nonsense.

The key is never to jump into a weight loss program head first, even if you think it’s flawless.

…Dehydration: Endurance Athletes kryptonite…

As an avid endurance runner, one of the  first AND last things that are on my mind when I am getting ready for a race is nutrition.  How will I nourish my body to ensure it has the nutrients it needs before/during/after my race AND how can I prepare my body to obtain/maintain hydration.

What is dehydration? 

Dehydration occurs when you use or lose more fluid than you take in, and your body doesn’t have enough water and other fluids to carry out its normal functions. If you don’t replace lost fluids, you will get dehydrated.

Dehydration also can occur in any age group if you don’t drink enough water during hot weather — especially if you are exercising vigorously.

You can usually reverse mild to moderate dehydration by drinking more fluids, but severe dehydration needs immediate medical treatment.

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic 

How to tell if you are dehydrated:

In Adults

  • Extreme thirst
  • Less frequent urination
  • Dark-colored urine
  • Fatigue
  • Dizziness
  • Confusion

Infant or young child

  • Dry mouth and tongue
  • No tears when crying
  • No wet diapers for three hours
  • Sunken eyes, cheeks
  • Sunken soft spot on top of skull
  • Listlessness or irritability

SOURCE: Mayo Clinic 

If dehydration is not taken care of, the side affects can cause some severe body issues.

There are several things that can be done to help someone stay hydrated for normal day-to- day activities OR for those that are getting ready for athletic activities.

  • Drink water before, during, and after any physical activity that you do
  • Avoid or limit alcoholic beverages (studies have shown that consuming alcoholic beverages actually dehydrates your body MORE than it hydrates your body).
  • If you are on a high protein diet, make sure that you are drinking additional water to help aid your body with digestion and processing the food that you consume.
  • You can use electrolyte tablets, salts, or drinks to help maintain your hydration during vigorous events

I was lucky enough to get to try SaltStick chewable tablets.

When I get the chance to try a product like this, I like to put it to the test. I used and tested this product while I completed several different races:

  • 5k (3.1 Miles)
  • 10k (6.2 Miles)
  • Half Marathon (13.1 Miles)
  • 25 K Ruck March (15.5 mile Hike with my weighted ruck sack on)

Typically I get slight dehydration issues when I complete a half marathon or during my 15 mile ruck. Typically around mile 10 is when I start to notice some slight issues and I take measures to hydrate more (in addition to already drinking water).  I also did these events in weather that was not above 60 degrees. So, the heat was not a major factor for me.

I consumed two tabs before the start of each of the above events which I found to be helpful (from my own personal expedience).  I took two more tabs around mile 8 and also at mile 10 to hopefully prepare myself for my usual dehydration symptoms. To be completely honest… I did notice a positive difference in my overall hydration AND my pace was slightly faster than normal.

Believe me… I was somewhat skeptical of this product being able to aid in my hydration AND increased pace for my longer races.  But, then I stumbled upon an article and research about SaltStick (CLICK HERE TO READ IT)  

Now, to be honest I have been training and pushing myself to become a more efficient runner leading up to these races.  BUT, I was not expecting my pace and speed to increase as much as it did (I ran my half marathon 12 minutes faster than normal AND I completed the 25 K Ruck March 15 minutes faster than normal).

Overall Comments: 

I was excited but also skeptical to try this product. But, from the times that I tired the product I did not find anything negative to say.  The chew-able tabs had a taste similar to the sweet tart candy tablets.  They were not overly bitter and they did not cause me to have dry mouth.  I also had some tablets on a empty stomach and the tablets did not seem to cause me any issues. The product is sweetened with stevia and is said to be non-GMO, gluten-free, vegetarian, fat-free.

Quality for Price: 

These capsules and chew tabs can be purchased online and in stores.  Be expected to pay around $22 for a bottle of 100 capsules. The 60 count chew-able tabs are about $15. You can also get individual packs to make them easy to pack/carry during events. In my opinion this is a great price for this quality of product.

Ranking Scale: (on a scale from 1-5)

Price: 4.0

Overall Quality: 4.5

Quality for Price: 4.5

Overall Ranking: 4.33

Closing Remarks: 

I would say that I would recommend this product. I enjoyed it and I did notice a slight difference while using this product. I would for sure suggest trying it out on your own to see if it indeed is something that you can regularly incorporate while you endure athletic activities. For more information about SaltStick please CLICK HERE and you will have access to their website and the other products that they offer.

 

**NOTE: Please make sure to note my product review disclaimer that can be found HERE***

…Halloween Fitness Costumes….

If you are like me you already know that you want to find a fun yet “home made” costume to wear to celebrate Halloween festivities. I HATE walking into a function to find that I am wearing the same costume that someone else may have on. If you feel the same way, here are some classic fitness themed costumes that I found that you can use for your next costume party!

The Wheaties Box

You can create your own backdrop and stand in front of it OR create your own face cutout and wear that! 

American Gladiator 

 

80’s Fitness Guru 

Kettle Bell

Use two hula hoops and black table cloth/paper to create the primary component of the kettle bell. 

Old Time Circus Strong Man (or Woman)

Harlem Globetrotters (or any other sports team)

 

Your favorites Sporting Coach

 

Race Runner

Make a bib for whatever race you would like! The Color run, Spartan Race, Tough Mudder, Marathons, YOU PICK!

 

BUT always remember to be safe and have a good time! 

…Reaching Your Dream Physique In 6 Months Or Less…

Most people attempt to reach their dream physique at some point, only to fall flat and give up in a short space of time. Some people give up after a few weeks, others stick it out for months. Some even stick it out for years before they give up, feeling frustrated that they are nowhere near where they want to be.

This can be for a number of reasons. Unfortunately, there’s so much conflicting information out there in the health and fitness world, that actually getting and looking fit yourself can be tough. Should you eat paleo? Should you go vegan? Should you do supersets or stick to low reps? How much protein is too much?

Relax! This post will help you to get your dream physique in 6 months or less:

Get Clear On What It Is You Want To Achieve

The first thing you need to do is get super clear on what you want to achieve. Look at fitness models and fitspo and decide what sort of look you’re going for. It’s important to remember as you do this that you’re not going to get your body exactly like someone else’s. You can build more definition and get leaner for sure, but your body is unique and always will be. Embrace that.

You can also get clear on what you want to achieve by picturing it in your head. What do you want to look like when you have achieved your goal? Some people swear by doing this for a few minutes each day.

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Find A Plan That You Love

Now you know what you need to do, it’s time to find a plan you love. Never walk into a gym without a plan. Some people opt for random classes, and while they can be good occasionally, they are not going to help you to get the specific look you’re going for. Generally, a mixture of weights/resistance exercises and a little cardio can help you to stay healthy and get you to where you want to be.

Be open to trying new ways of training until you find a type you really want to stick to.

Make Sure Your Diet is 80/20

Good news. Your diet doesn’t have to be perfect, and you certainly don’t need to cut anything out. However, you should try to adopt an 80/20 approach. Make smart choices 80% of the time, choosing veg, lean protein, and super healthy options that will help you to achieve your goals. Then, 20% of the time, have a little of what you fancy. Just ensure you don’t go overboard! You may be able to speed up the process with certain MD health supplements, but you must read reviews first to make sure they’re right for you. Supplements are a total waste of money if you don’t know why you’re using them and just get them for the sake of it.

Monitor Your Progress

Make sure you monitor your progress each week, taking your measurements, pictures, and weight. Pay the most attention to how you look in the mirror and feel. Also monitor how much stronger you’re getting!

Be As Consistent As You Can Be

Finally, consistency is the key. You have to commit to changing your lifestyle or you won’t make any changes!

 

…Fit and Ready for the Day Ahead: Business Travel Fitness Tips…

The business day can drag. Those who don’t stay atop fitness goals feel worse. In order to stay fit and ready for the day ahead, stick to the following business travel tips.

Eat in Your Room
You don’t want to add calories to your diet when traveling. That means staying away from fast foods and getting take-out from the hotel lobby. Use the coffee maker in your room to prepare something healthy, such as oatmeal. Plus, stock the mini fridge with healthy items from the grocery store.

Wake-Up Early
Rise early and go for a walk or do push-ups in your room. Get the blood flowing early and be more alert for the business day ahead. How ironic that waking early to exercise makes you feel less tired and more energized throughout the day.

Pack Exercise Gear
If you don’t have your sneakers and exercise gear then you have an excuse to avoid burning calories. That’s not a healthy way to go about your business trip. It’s highly likely that your hotel has a gym or room with cardio equipment and free weights. But you won’t be able to take advantage if you don’t bring the right gear.

Drink Plenty of Water
Drinking plenty of water is good for your skin and ensures you’re not feeling drained of energy. Plus, staying hydrated helps keep the body feeling full. Otherwise, you may partake in a lot of unneeded snacking.

Stick to a Regular Routine
Do your best to stay true to your normal routine. For example, if you regularly stay away from take- out or fatty foods during the workweek, don’t exchange that discipline for continuous meals that are high in fat and calories. If you normally jog, walk the city, jump rope in your hotel room, etc.

Walk the Town
Many business meetings reside in or around a major city. Rather than take a cab to destinations, see how long it takes to walk. Otherwise, use downtime to find walking trails in the area if the city is not fixed with a downtown area. See where you can go on foot from the Renaissance Lounge at Sonoma by Marriott.

Pack Your Own Snacks

Pack protein bars and other healthy, filling snacks in your luggage. Keep them handy as the day is filled with meetings. You may not get a chance to eat lunch or dinner when you’re hungry. Packing snacks ensure you won’t feel drained of energy or moody because you’re hungry.

Flex While Sitting and Walking
It sounds a bit eccentric, but flexing your stomach while sitting and walking actually burns calories and gains muscle. You don’t want to get caught flexing in front of your peers or potential business partners, but remind yourself to do it while waiting in a restaurant, walking to get coffee, etc.

Take the Difficult Route
Most take an escalator versus the stairs yet those who opt for the latter burn more calories. It seems like an insignificant difference, yet over time, those who seek the difficult routes are more likely to be in better shape and have an improved mindset about exercise.

…Using Yoga To Treat Sports Injuries…

Spirituality is a big part of yoga and it first gained popularity amongst people that wanted to use it as a form of meditation, but these days everybody seems to be doing it for all sorts of different reasons. It’s been known to help people relieve stress, give up smoking, and even improve their performance in a range of sports. These are just a couple of the many ways that yoga can improve your life but one thing that people don’t often think to use yoga for is injury prevention and treatment. Yoga is a valuable tool that you should be taking advantage of, here’s how it can help you to avoid injuries and help you to recover from them quicker.

Pixabay

Pain Relief

If you’ve got a serious sporting injury then you might be prescribed painkillers by your doctor but if you don’t want to take loads of medication that might affect your mood, yoga can often be a good alternative form of pain relief as well as a way to inspire quicker healing. Learning to control your breathing through meditation at yoga chiang mai retreats can help you to improve the oxygen and nutrient flow to your muscles which will aid quick recovery. Slow stretches and held poses also help to increase the elasticity of your muscles which is a great way to get some relief if you’ve pulled muscles. Yoga also improves your cardiovascular and respiratory functions which both help with injury recovery.  

Muscle Flexibility

A lack of muscle flexibility is a common cause of sports injury. If you aren’t flexible enough then you increase your risk of pulling and tearing muscles. You can also encounter severe joint problems if you don’t keep them in good shape. Certain yoga poses can help you to loosen up different muscle groups as well as giving you control over the spinal reflexes that cause automatic muscle contraction. Stretching out as part of a warm down is also a great way to avoid any muscle pain after working out. The best poses for muscle flexibility are downward dog, sit easy, and the cobra. Between them, those three poses will stretch out all of your muscles and loosen things up a bit.

Rehabilitation

Some injuries will be ok after a bit of stretching out but if you have a more serious injury like a broken limb which puts you out of action for a while, it’s important that you don’t rush back into exercising. Easing yourself in gently with lower impact exercises to test the water and see if your ready is the key to avoiding further injuries. Yoga is a great way to gradually introduce bit more movement to the injured part of your body without putting it under too much strain. Start off with very simple poses that don’t require too much stretching or flexibility and gradually increase the difficulty until you’re back to normal.

Another benefit of yoga when you’re recovering from an injury is that it keeps you healthy mentally as well as physically, which is something that athletes often struggle with if they are unable to compete for a long time.

Everybody should incorporate yoga into their workout routine to avoid injury and keep their body in tip top shape.

 

…Work It Out: Cracking The Weight Loss Code…

If you asked a group of people who claim to have tried every diet on the planet about their experiences, you might assume that weight loss is an uncrackable code. The truth is that you read about people trying to lose weight all the time, and every person has a different story. You’ll come across those who have survived on liquid for weeks at a time and those who have taken miracle supplements or tried to follow a diet including all kinds of weird and wonderful ingredients. If you’re desperate to lose weight, the best thing to do is think of the long-term. It can be so easy to get distracted by products and plans that promise instant results, but almost always, these results are unsustainable. If you’re looking for ways to work out weight loss, you’ve come to the right place.

Balancing the equation

There are various factors that will affect your individual weight loss journey, but in the simplest terms, losing weight boils down to finding the solution to a simple equation. Your body needs fuel to function, but if the tank is too full and you’re not using enough of that fuel, you’re going to gain weight. To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you take in from your diet. It’s very easy to consume more calories than you need, especially if you don’t ever look at food labels. If you’ve never really paid attention to calorie content before, now is the time to start using an app to count calories. This will give you an idea of your average daily intake, and you can make adjustments accordingly. Changing your diet and keeping a handle on portion sizes will help you to lose weight, but it’s also beneficial to move your body more. Being active should help you drop dress sizes and you should also find that you feel fitter, healthier and more confident.

Image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/usaghumphreys/7239581368

Understanding your options

If you research weight loss on the Internet or you read magazines on a regular basis, you may be exploring the idea of trying new diets, taking weight loss supplements or pills or even having surgery. It’s so important to understand your options and to ensure that you know exactly what you’re doing. Surgery may seem like a quick-fix, but there are risks involved with bariatric surgery, and it’s not a decision anyone should take lightly. Dr. Steve Tersigni of Bay Bariatrics explained that the lap band procedure has the most complications and most often needs to be fixed among all weight loss procedures. Before embarking on surgical treatment of any kind, you should be aware of the risks and the potential complications that may occur. Likewise, if you’re starting a diet or buying products online, it’s essential to do your homework. Ask your doctor for advice and be wary of anything that claims to help you lose a substantial amount of weight in a very short time. If you can, always try and combine healthy eating and regular exercise to lose weight over a period of time. This is the best way to improve your health now and in the future.

Image via https://pixabay.com/en/weight-loss-weight-nutrition-scale-2036967/

Are you trying to lose weight? Do you feel like you’ve done every diet and still failed to get the results you want? If you’re struggling, try and simplify the process, focus on being healthy and concentrate on getting good results in the long-term. If you are considering options such as new diets or surgery, always seek expert advice first.

…You Can Find the Time to Exercise More…

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We’ve all done it; come up with a million reasons why we simply don’t have the time to exercise. The thing is, most of us were lying. The vast majority of us, although we may well lead very busy, full lives, do have the time to exercise, it’s all about making it a priority and finding better ways to fit it into our everyday life.

If you want to exercise more, and you know that you should, here are some very simple things you can do to find the time:

Invest in Home Gym Equipment

One of the best ways of ensuring that you can fit more exercise into your life is by investing in some home gym equipment. That way, you don’t have to worry about getting to and from the gym – you can just fit your workout in quickly whenever you have the time.

There are all kinds of gym equipment you can use with ease in the home, but a treadmill is a great option because it takes very little effort to understand, as you will see if you click here and take a look at this great treadmill-based, website I found, and because most people can run well with a little practice. It’s a pretty great calorie burner, too.

Get Up Early

This one is a no-brainer, but so few people consider it that it’s definitely worth mentioning here. If you have a full schedule, then getting up even 30 minutes earlier will give you enough time to fit in at least a 20-minute workout before you start your day, and this is at least, the minimum you should be doing if you want to stay fit and healthy. It might be tough to not just ignore the alarm at first but after a few days. It’ll become second nature, and you’ll soon be fitter than ever.

Use Your Lunch Break for Good

If you have a decent lunch break of, say 60 minutes, then you can comfortably eat lunch and fit in a quick workout before heading back to the office. In fact, if you let your employer know that this is what you plan to do, they might even give you a little leeway to get back later. After all, employers want their staff to be as fit and healthy as possible so that they don’t take as many sick days.

Learn a HIIT Routine

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Using a HIIT routine, you can get fit in as little as 6 minutes. Each and every one of us has at least six free minutes in the day, so once you know what you are doing, you really have no excuse not to start sweating and get into the best shape of your life.

Say No More

One of the reasons why we’re all so busy these days is because we have a real problem saying no. We all agree to far more commitments than we would really like for fear of upsetting anyone, most of the time, but what’s more important? Declining an offer which might put someone out for a few minutes before they move on, or letting your body go to rack and ruin? You know the answer.

Exercise with the Kids

If finding someone to take care of the kids while you hit the gym is your biggest problem, forget the gym and start exercising with your kids. There are tons of ways you can do this; for example, if you click this link, you’ll find a great jogging stroller that will make it so easy for you to get out and run with your baby, or if you want to stay at home, what about using your kids as weights? Have older kids? Play catch with them or join a family baseball game and you’ll all have a wonderful time together.

Invest in a Standing Desk

Okay, so standing up isn’t exactly exercising, but you will burn more calories and perhaps even improve your muscle tone if you spend more of your working day standing than you do sitting down. If you must sit, consider investing in a medicine ball because using that in place in of an actual chair forces you to engage your core, which can really help to tighten up your abs.

Multi-Task Your Exercise

A good way to make the time for a good workout is to combine tasks. For example, holding dumbbells while you run on the treadmill will work your arms as well as your legs and help you to burn many more calories.

Make a Date of It

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Whether you’re single and looking to mingle or you’re happily married and need regular date nights to spend some quality time with your spouse, a great way to fit in more workouts is to turn your dates into activity nights, So, instead of going to the cinema, go for a hike and watch the beauty of nature unfold before your eyes, or instead of going out for a romantic meal at a restaurant, hire a rowing boat and go for a picnic, burning off lots of calories before you eat.

Cardio in Front of the Couch

If you spend so much time watching the latest Netflix shows that you simply ‘don’t have time’ to exercise, and you aren’t willing to give up The Walking Dead or Stranger Things completely, then at least get up off the couch and do some simple aerobic exercises, squats and lunges in front of the couch! The Tv will take your mind off the fact you’re exercising, and you’ll have a much fitter heart and body after your next binge-watching session than if you sit on the couch eating Doritos!

Build it Into Your Day

Another very simple way to make time for exercise is by building it into your day. Things like taking the stairs instead of the elevator and walking to the store around the block instead of driving there, won’t add much time to your day, but they will, cumulatively, make a big difference to your health.

Now, you have no excuse to exercise every day, so get to it!