Turn Your Daily Life into a Better Fitness Routine

Finding time to work out is one of the biggest problems for people who want to be more fit.  Most people just don’t have an extra hour a day to commit to fitness. 

That is why you should look for ways to start improving your fitness levels in your “regular life”.

Here are some easy tips that will help you add a little fitness to your day, without having to find extra time to do it.

Mop the Floor by Foot

Instead of using a mop on your kitchen floor, use a damp cloth and mop the floor with your feet.

You can use a damp cloth on one foot, and a dry one on the other to do the drying.   You’ll end up with a clean kitchen floor, and you will get the same benefit as if you took a long walk.

Dance While You Dust

Super charge this boring chore by cranking your favorite music and making it fun.

Vacuum With Weights

Grab some wrist weights or ankle weights and attach them to your vacuum before you get started.  It will work as a strength training workout and will help with cardio, depending on how much floor space you have to vacuum.

Stand Up

Instead of sitting down when you’re getting dressed stand up.  You can stand up and alternate standing on one foot.  This will help with your balance and will be good for your core.

The same thing applies when you’re folding laundry.  Don’t do it from the couch, use a table so you can stand up, and alternate legs.

Take Advantage of Standing

You have to stand in one place many times throughout the day, so you should take advantage of that time too.

Don’t just stand there, take advantage of the time to get stronger.

• Brushing your teeth
• Putting on makeup
• Standing at the stove making sure the sauce doesn’t burn
• Drying your hair
• Folding laundry
• Washing the dishes

Extra tips: 

• Do an occasional deep knee bend or a knee-to-chest raise (while holding on to the counter) to get even more of a benefit.
• Use a non-skid step or a yoga step and do step-ups on them
• Stand on a dyna disc
• Use wrist or ankle weights

Whether you’re doing housework, cooking dinner, gardening or doing the regular stuff when you get home from work, add weights to it.

Ankle or wrist weights will help you get a workout that won’t cost you any extra time at all.

Hand Weights

Leave a pair of hand weights in a high traffic area.  Every time you walk by them, pick m up and do some leg lunges or arm lifts as you walk down the hall or through the living room.

Then leave them at the other end of the hallway, ready for the return trip.

Make More Trips

If you’re taking things upstairs, putting away the laundry, bringing in the groceries or just picking things up, make more trips.

Instead of loading up with as much as you can carry, pick up a much smaller load each time.  That will force you to make more trips, which keeps you active longer and increases your activity level.

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What other tips do you have that can help you get a little healthier, fitter and stronger throughout the day?