We all know that exercise in our daily lives is vital to our health. But the truth is that many of us don’t know how to incorporate more exercise into our daily lives without making major sacrifices in our daily activities or hobbies.
Let’s face it: Most of us find it difficult to move, especially when we have a job that requires no physical exertion other than maintaining good posture in the chair and typing for hours. That’s why we’re going to lose a lot of them Benefits that exercise can bring us: improve our mood, reduce stress, increase our energy and even sleep better.
We all value exercising, especially when months of new beginnings approach, like January or September. But it’s hard for all of us, even if we’re used to it.
There are certain tricks that can help us incorporate more exercise into our everyday lives without even realizing it. because we will enjoy it.
Establish a routine
This is not a secret for anyone. To be consistent, it is important to create a daily habit, but how can we do this?
The most effective method is the signal, routine and reward; and can be applied to every area of ​​our lives. For example, if we want to go to the gym every morning before work, the alarm signal is the alarm signal. The action we want to reinforce will be to get up and put on gym clothes, because this prevents us from falling asleep and forces us to go to the gym (which becomes routine).
Once the exercise is finished, there must be a reward that motivates us to carry out this process again, such as drinking a coffee, buying something at the end of the week or investing in sports equipment.
We simply need to experiment and test what signals and rewards work best for us to establish this routine forever.
Start little by little
You don’t have to go to the gym every day or walk 10,000 steps (a number that is a myth, by the way). It is enough to exercise at least 30 minutes a day. The United States Department of Health specifies that the minimum weekly exercise time should be 150 minutes when it comes to moderate aerobic exercise; That equates to just over 20 minutes per day.
They also recommend training the strength of major muscle groups at least twice a week. But we don’t have to do everything in the same week. We can start with 30 minutes of the activity we like best twice a week and then increase the frequency.
Link exercise to a habit we have established
Although it may sound confusing, It’s simply a matter of grouping this new behavior with a habit that we already practice on a daily basis.. For example, if we have a habit of listening to a podcast every day, we can start doing it while running or walking. Or if we like listening to music, we can do it through dancing.
It can be as simple as doing a little stretching while the coffee is brewing. It’s about associating one habit with another so that our body knows when it’s time to perform both.
Be active at work
Even if we have a job that requires us to be sedentary, we can use our lunch break to go to the gym or just go for a walk or run errands. One trick used by Spotify’s CEO was to hold one-on-one meetings on a walk instead of in the office.
They have now also become fashionable Walking pads or folding treadmills that people working from home use to get work done on foot. Sometimes it’s as simple as doing a few stretching exercises from time to time to avoid bad posture and pain.
Find the exercise you like
It’s probably the most important thing: finding something we’re passionate about so we’re motivated to keep doing it. There are many people who don’t like running or going to the gym for hours, but they find other types of exercises to try, such as swimming, cycling, yoga, pilates… The possibilities are endless. You just have to step out of your comfort zone and try new things..
Do activities while watching series or movies
Instead of spending our time on the couch watching TV or watching a movie or series, we can do this while exercising, such as walking or running on the treadmill or stationary bike. When we let ourselves be entertained, we forget what exercise costs us And because it’s more fun, we can practice it longer.
Socialize
Sport doesn’t have to be lonely. When we have a partner to work out with, we can actually be more motivated and more committed to our routine. If we don’t have friends who want to join, we can look for group classes. We will intensify our training, but we will also meet people.
Incorporating more exercise into our everyday lives doesn’t have to be overly complicated. If we follow these tips we can achieve it safely.
