2009-11-02
Tips for Exercising No Gym Required
Written by: Jennifer Cohen
We're all short on time. Between excessive personal and professional demands and our desire to have some downtime sometimes, schedules get stretched pretty thin. Too thin if you ask me!
If you're anything like me that means you have to prioritize and then re-prioritize mid-day. What ends up suffering? Well I can squeeze in eating healthy because I have to eat anyway - albeit sometimes at my desk. Exercise! Exercise always seems to suffer. Always seems to get de-prioritized when I re-prioritize. Oops. I shouldn't do this but I give it the "tomorrow, later, next time, in a minute" way too often.
I have to trick my brain to get it done. Yes, trick myself. Doesn't speak too highly of me if I can trick myself but hey...it works!
Here are some tips & tricks that work for me:
1. Do it NOW! It sounds stupid-simple but follow your gut. If you feel the urge to run, jog, do push-ups, do a few squats, go for a walk, or go for a bike ride, do it then and there. Don't wait. Sure it's not realistic to go for a 30 minute bike ride when you're at work but there's no reason you can't substitute that ride for a quick 10 minute walk or 5 minutes worth of push-ups and squats. If your boss gives you a weird look, tell him/her that exercise has been proven to reduce company health care costs, increase productivity and workplace happiness by 40+%, and increase motivation by up to 70%!
2. Minimize rest periods to maximize results. I should explain. Resting as in sitting on a chair or chatting at the water fountain is a complete waste of time. I know you social butterflies need this to make your workout bearable but let's be honest, 30 seconds turns into 5 minutes and there goes the workout. Here is how I suggest you rest from now on: jog, walk, do planks, or stretch. Do something low impact! You're still resting but at least you're engaged and getting results.
3. Interval (burst) training supersizes impact (by 2 to 3). I talk a lot about the benefits of interval training to everyone I meet. In fact I personally love this type of training. It's the biggest bang for your buck and helps you improve quickly and break through plateaus. Interval training is one of my Top Tips!
4. Rely on the classics: push-ups, squats, chin-ups, lunges, dips, planks. No questions, these are the best. They use multiple muscle groups, engage your core and stabilizers, are completely free, and can be done Anywhere. Anytime. No Excuses. as I like to say. If you're short on time, stick to these because they're the most effective - no question! [Stabilizers are small muscles that work with larger muscle group to ensure they work properly and can apply speed, distance, and intensity equally. These stabilizers play a key role in keeping you balanced and therefore preventing injury.]
5. Always challenge yourself whether by time, number, or frequency. Can't stress this enough. Challenging yourself = measuring your results which means comparing to previous results. There is nothing more motivating that seeing results and nothing more compelling to keep at it then seeing yourself fall behind. Just imagine your salary was variable: the more you worked the bigger your paycheck and vice versa. Exercise is the same!
6. Work within your time. Simply put if you have only 10 minutes then workout for 10 minutes. Forget doing a 30 minute workout in 10 minutes - it won't work and you'll know you didn't finish it. Do something you can finish. If you can't find a 10 minute workout, contact me and I'll help you find one.
7. Build yourself a “home gym”. I'm bias here because many know me as the No Gym Required girl but you can honestly can get all the workout you need for around $200. For example, you can get a series of bands, weights, balls, steps, and mat (or a pair of NGR Shoes - ha ha) and a combination of the above and do a great workout. The point is that you don't need a $1,000 machine or $400 membership to get in shape. If these help you or get you to workout then by all means use them but they aren't required. A few bands, a good routine, and a kit you enjoy will give all the results you need!
8. Follow a program. Translation: make yourself accountable. Programs can be found online, in books like mine, or via a trainer. Again, if you need help I can point you in the right direction or even send you one but good programs are fairly easy to come by. Most important they make challenging yourself and keeping track much easier + give you ideas and suggestions of things to do. That keeps your routine fun and fresh!
I'm sure you've noticed that most of these tips & tricks are stupid-simple and completely effortless to implement. That's the point. It doesn't take much to improve your lifestyle. Just a elbow grease and desire...
Hope this helps!
Jen
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/jennifercohen16?ref=ts
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ngr_girl
WEBSITE: http://www.ngrfit.com
If you're anything like me that means you have to prioritize and then re-prioritize mid-day. What ends up suffering? Well I can squeeze in eating healthy because I have to eat anyway - albeit sometimes at my desk. Exercise! Exercise always seems to suffer. Always seems to get de-prioritized when I re-prioritize. Oops. I shouldn't do this but I give it the "tomorrow, later, next time, in a minute" way too often.
I have to trick my brain to get it done. Yes, trick myself. Doesn't speak too highly of me if I can trick myself but hey...it works!
Here are some tips & tricks that work for me:
1. Do it NOW! It sounds stupid-simple but follow your gut. If you feel the urge to run, jog, do push-ups, do a few squats, go for a walk, or go for a bike ride, do it then and there. Don't wait. Sure it's not realistic to go for a 30 minute bike ride when you're at work but there's no reason you can't substitute that ride for a quick 10 minute walk or 5 minutes worth of push-ups and squats. If your boss gives you a weird look, tell him/her that exercise has been proven to reduce company health care costs, increase productivity and workplace happiness by 40+%, and increase motivation by up to 70%!
2. Minimize rest periods to maximize results. I should explain. Resting as in sitting on a chair or chatting at the water fountain is a complete waste of time. I know you social butterflies need this to make your workout bearable but let's be honest, 30 seconds turns into 5 minutes and there goes the workout. Here is how I suggest you rest from now on: jog, walk, do planks, or stretch. Do something low impact! You're still resting but at least you're engaged and getting results.
3. Interval (burst) training supersizes impact (by 2 to 3). I talk a lot about the benefits of interval training to everyone I meet. In fact I personally love this type of training. It's the biggest bang for your buck and helps you improve quickly and break through plateaus. Interval training is one of my Top Tips!
4. Rely on the classics: push-ups, squats, chin-ups, lunges, dips, planks. No questions, these are the best. They use multiple muscle groups, engage your core and stabilizers, are completely free, and can be done Anywhere. Anytime. No Excuses. as I like to say. If you're short on time, stick to these because they're the most effective - no question! [Stabilizers are small muscles that work with larger muscle group to ensure they work properly and can apply speed, distance, and intensity equally. These stabilizers play a key role in keeping you balanced and therefore preventing injury.]
5. Always challenge yourself whether by time, number, or frequency. Can't stress this enough. Challenging yourself = measuring your results which means comparing to previous results. There is nothing more motivating that seeing results and nothing more compelling to keep at it then seeing yourself fall behind. Just imagine your salary was variable: the more you worked the bigger your paycheck and vice versa. Exercise is the same!
6. Work within your time. Simply put if you have only 10 minutes then workout for 10 minutes. Forget doing a 30 minute workout in 10 minutes - it won't work and you'll know you didn't finish it. Do something you can finish. If you can't find a 10 minute workout, contact me and I'll help you find one.
7. Build yourself a “home gym”. I'm bias here because many know me as the No Gym Required girl but you can honestly can get all the workout you need for around $200. For example, you can get a series of bands, weights, balls, steps, and mat (or a pair of NGR Shoes - ha ha) and a combination of the above and do a great workout. The point is that you don't need a $1,000 machine or $400 membership to get in shape. If these help you or get you to workout then by all means use them but they aren't required. A few bands, a good routine, and a kit you enjoy will give all the results you need!
8. Follow a program. Translation: make yourself accountable. Programs can be found online, in books like mine, or via a trainer. Again, if you need help I can point you in the right direction or even send you one but good programs are fairly easy to come by. Most important they make challenging yourself and keeping track much easier + give you ideas and suggestions of things to do. That keeps your routine fun and fresh!
I'm sure you've noticed that most of these tips & tricks are stupid-simple and completely effortless to implement. That's the point. It doesn't take much to improve your lifestyle. Just a elbow grease and desire...
Hope this helps!
Jen
FACEBOOK: http://www.facebook.com/jennifercohen16?ref=ts
TWITTER: http://www.twitter.com/ngr_girl
WEBSITE: http://www.ngrfit.com
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