The Pursuit of Healthiness

The Pursuit of Healthiness
Your Guide to Getting Healthy

Thursday, February 11, 2016

Exercise is Everywhere

I've been so mad at myself lately. I haven't worked out all week. Okay maybe two weeks. Between two jobs, being a full time student, and looking for a new place to live, I've barely had time to sleep. I come home at the end of the day (usually around nine or ten at night) and collapse on the bed. But I woke up yesterday and my legs were sore and I immediately thought, "How could that be possible?" And then I thought back to what I did the day before.

I realized I'd walked over three miles. In my attempt to find an open bank, I'd walked all over the city. By going to class, I'd also walked at least four flights of stairs. To get back to my dorm room, I took the elevator (I live on the thirteenth floor so taking the stairs may have killed me) but I was alone in the elevator so I did wall sits on my way up. While studying, I decided to do squats while I read and ended up doing around 50 squats.

I've been wanting to tone my legs so badly because I've always been particularly unhappy with my thighs, even more so recently. Having skipped so many workouts, I assumed it would never happen and I was half ready to give up. But waking up with a burn in my legs has made me so ready to get back into it full force.

I thought I didn't have time for workouts anymore but I was doing workouts all along. Mind you, I don't recommend calling these workouts all the time. The way that I think about it is this: exercise is everywhere. It's taking the stairs instead of walking. It's walking an extra fifteen minutes instead of hailing a cab to get back to your apartment faster. It's squatting while you brush your teeth or doing planks while you read a book. These are great ways to get your blood pumping and keep you fit.

These are the things to keep in mind on your off days. Workouts are exercise but they aren't this relatively easy form of exercise. If you have weight to lose, you have to do workouts and exercise. For three days a week, do forty-five minutes of hard core exercise. Try for thirty minutes of cardio (more than just walking) and fifteen minutes of strength training. On the days when you aren't working out, be sure to get in your exercise. Walk when you can. Don't sit for too long. Dance while you cook. Stand or do squats at your desk at work. Find the little ways that work for you and remind yourself to keep doing them because you will always have the time to do those little tricks.