10 easy ways to get active without a gym

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

Even the tightest schedule will not hurt you.

The World Health Organization recommends that we be active at least 2.5 hours a week. Not much, but people don't do that either because of a lack of habit, lack of time or energy. And this seriously affects health.

Physical activity is essential for well-being and longevity: it reduces the risks of dangerous diseases, including heart and vascular problems, type 2 diabetes and even cancer. Moreover, any activity is better than its absence. We are figuring out how to get the movement rate necessary for health, even with the busiest schedule.

1. Do your exercises

Charging will take you no more than 10 minutes, but at the same time it will help you to cheer up and set you up for an active day. If you don't have time for a full complex, you can do the power section while the kettle is boiling or the oatmeal is boiling.

2. Walk whenever possible

Yes, walking uses fewer calories than running, and does not pump the cardiovascular system as efficiently, but it also has many health benefits:

• reduces cravings for sweets;
• improves immunity;
• protects against joint diseases;
• helps fight stress and improves mood.

You don't have to go to the park and spend a few hours there. You can walk around the office or take a walk in the corridor during the call, on the way to work you do not get one stop and walk.

Do not be afraid of the need to travel on foot - rejoice in it.

3. Climb the stairs

A person walking up the stairs while the elevator is working properly raises bewildered looks and questions. However, this kind of lift trains your heart, strengthens your leg muscles, and helps you burn more calories than walking.

Even going down the stairs, you spend an additional 5 kcal per minute, and climbing requires twice as much - about 10 kcal per minute. Thus, by giving up the elevator, you can increase your calorie expenditure without wasting a lot of time.

4. Use a shopping cart instead of a cart in the store

If you are not going to shop for a week, bring a basket. This will burn more calories and create a good upper shoulder workout. If you walk to the store, take two bags and distribute food on them - this way you will evenly load both hands.

5. Park your car further

People are constantly trying to park their car as close to the driveway, shopping or office center as possible. Stop doing that: walking is your best friend, remember?

Leave the car 100 meters further. This will give you a great opportunity to walk, save time looking for a place, save your nerves and protect your car from accidental scratches.

6. Play outdoor games

If you have children, it means that there is simply an inexhaustible source of physical activity next to you. Forget that you are an adult and a serious person. Who needs it?

Playing and fooling around with kids is so much fun!

Run to catch up and race, play classics and snowballs, make snowmen, hunt a troll, jump over cracks in the asphalt and colored tiles on the sidewalk.

This tip also works for people who have a dog. Your dog will surely be delighted with the fact that the owner is actively playing with him, and not just sticking to the phone, dreaming of returning to the sofa.

7. Set special reminders

Some fitness bracelets allow you to set a reminder when you are too busy. Use this feature or just set an alarm every 30-60 minutes. During your break, walk to the water cooler or coffee machine, look out the window, or do a little warm-up in your workplace.

eight. Dance

Exercise is often perceived as something unpleasant - something you have to force yourself to do. At the end of the working day, when your nervous system is not in the best condition, and willpower has hit the bottom, the thought of sports only brings a sad smile.

But dancing is another matter entirely. Forget about choreography courses, your dancing skills and - especially important! - about how it looks from the outside.

Put on your headphones, turn on your favorite track and release your body - let it move as it pleases.

For some reason, many are very embarrassed to dance in front of people, even in front of their loved ones. Trust me: no one cares. Even if you are dancing in the office or at the bus stop, no one will call an ambulance - checked on myself.

If you're still shy, dance at home when no one is seeing. You will get a great cardio workout, relieve stress and experience a lot of positive emotions.

9. Stretch out in the workplace

After prolonged sitting was recognized as hazardous to health, tables for standing work appeared. However, while it lowers blood pressure and relieves back and neck pain, it cannot be considered physical activity: it will not help you lose weight, strengthen muscles, or improve your posture.

Working while standing will only burn 8 kcal more than sitting. And in 10 minutes of walking, you will spend as much as in 3 hours of working standing, while the benefits for the heart will be much greater.

If you want to reduce harm to your posture, try doing a little workout and stretching in your work area. Simple exercises will help keep the blood flowing, stretch the muscles stiff from the long sitting, and help prevent negative changes.

10. Keep Any Waiting Actively

Commercials, long wait on the phone, installing updates - you can spend these endless minutes with benefits for your body.

Do bodyweight exercises like 10 push-ups, 20 squats, and 30 seconds plank. Arrange a competition with yourself: how many circles will you have time to close before the ad ends?

Don't try everything at once - start with one or two tips. Then, when you form a habit, introduce the following actions - and so on, until activity becomes a permanent part of your life.

This article was originally published in 2013. In 2020, we updated the text to include more scientific evidence from verified sources.