Staying fit can be a challenge if you don't have a plan. This goal is one of my goals this year as well since I sit behind a computer the majority of the day. And, the kicker is that I have a standing treadmill desk and haven't used it in 4 months. Bummer. You would think I would walk on the treadmill each day, right? But since I had a foot injury in the summer, I had to stop being active. It was hard. And every so often I have had it flare up, so it has been hard for me to keep a routine.
But, now my foot feels a bit better, and I purchased supportive shoes, I plan on changing that. But I need a plan. So, below are the easy and simple ways to stay fit this year.
Steps to achieve your staying fit goals
Park farther away from your destination. If you need to go to the grocery store, park at the end of the parking lot and walk. With parking lots being huge these days, this can easily help you get many steps in your day.
Try a new exercise with others. Trying something new makes you use different muscles. Maybe you wanted to try cross-country skiing but just didn't yet. Take along family and friends and make a day of it. Instead of going out to dinner for date night, try picking a trail and taking a walk with your loved one.
Schedule a 15-minute walk at lunchtime each day. Walking is an easy way to get your body into shape. And, it forces you to take lunch too. It's a win, win. =)
Get your dog and take him/her for a walk. Walking your pet around the block a few times a day will help you get out, enjoy the sun and be active without straining your body.
While cooking dinner, play some music and dance in your kitchen. We love listening to music in our house. So, dancing is a natural way to exert the end of day energy.
Wake up an hour earlier before the kids, and walk on the treadmill or what an exercise video. I have done this and it works pretty well, though for me, any earlier than 5:30 AM is just plain hard. I don't have any coordination at that hour.
On January 1st, remove all forbidden foods in your home. Any temptation deters you from your goals so not seeing it will help, especially, if you are like me and are work from home a lot. It's just for a little bit. You don't need to do it forever.
Precut fruit/veggies on Sunday for the week. This tip has helped my teens eat their veggies throughout the day. On Sunday, we clean, carrots, celery and grapes, let dry, and then bag 3-5 veggies in each bag. Then, we have a try in the kitchen just for the baggies. So, when they make their lunch, they add the veggies to it. It's so easy!
Buy food for recipes only when going to the grocery store. Only go to the grocery store with a plan. So, bring along your recipes. If you always forget the paper recipe, take a picture of it and take your phone instead. =)
Sweep more instead of vacuum. You use more energy sweeping than vacuuming. It's not my favorite thing to do but if you want to try it. Try sweeping out your garage and see how that feels.
While brushing your teeth, do toning exercises. Any activity that works the lower body works nicely when brushing your teeth. Some examples are squats and lunges.
Buy a set of wrist weights
and wear them all day while you are cleaning your home. Wrist weights are nice if you are like me and have issues with holding weights in my hands.
I hope this list helps you reach your goal this year. Let's add more tips to this list. Please leave your favorite tip to stay fit below so others can read. Good luck.
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I definitely agree with the getting up early before the kids to fit in your exercise. I get up a little after 6am to fit in a half hour workout before my son wakes up. I never thought about fitting in a few stretches while brushing my teeth - I'll have to try that!
I'm so glad you are on this journey because I am too! Waking up earlier has really been helping as well as food prepping on Sunday's. I got the Fitbit Charge 2 for Christmas and it beeps at me when I haven't gotten enough steps in so I have to get up and move. It's super helpful!
I'm so glad you are on this journey because I am too! Waking up early has been a big help! Also prepping food for the week on Sundays. Also I got the new Fitbit Charge 2 for Christmas and it beeps at me if I have been sitting too long and tells me how many steps to get up and do! It's really helpful. The one thing I have to improve upon is food journaling.
Great tips Sabrina! I have been trying to park farther from the door and pre-cut fruits and veggies but I will try a few of these other tips too. Happy new year!
Wow, Sabrina! These are such excellent and EASILY doable tips. I love that especially since I'm not really great when it comes to exercising. I do some back exercises and my work is fairly active, but I'm not generally a worker-outer. I do try to park farther away so I can walk more. When we had a dog we walked a lot more. Makes a case for adopting a four-legged friend. You never know 🙂
Kudos to you for getting up early to exercise! I need to get up a little earlier, too--even if it's just to stretch. I just started wearing a Fitbit to keep me moving (I, too am in front of my computer when I'm not working with clients).
I think the toughest tip to follow is 'Remove all forbidden foods from the house.' There is a tub of Trader Joe's mini chocolate chip cookies in my pantry and they are very hard to resist! I even told my husband we should consider not buying them for a while because we both like them. A LOT. Ever see a grown man start to cry? 😉
The "parking far away" thing is something I am happy to do in the summer, but since it is 6 degrees here this morning, I bet I'll be parking as close to the door as possible. Winter tends to put a cramp in my exercise, as I prefer doing something outside to working out in the gym. That said, I find anything I do when I first get up I have a much better shot of sustaining over time.
I used to get up early to walk, but it's much less appealing when it's cold and dark out, so I adopted a rescue dog. I may still spend too many hours at my desk, but at least now I'm out walking every morning and night, rain or shine, hot or cold.
Great tips, Sabrina. I have been parking in the furthest parking spot that I can when running errands. Every step counts!