I don't "workout" every day. And I don't feel a need to come up with an excuse why. For a good chunk of my adult life I thought of working out as either playing a sport, going for a run, or spending some time at the gym. At this phase of my life I play sports occasionally, go for a run every once in a while, and maybe make it to the gym once a week. So, now you are probably wondering why I am not practicing what I preach.
Well, first off, I am not preaching that you go to the gym at least 5 days a week. I am not preaching that you shouldn't do that, either. The fact is, everyone's life circumstance is different. Some people do not like to run. Some people can't afford the gym. Some people can't get away from home to exercise without the kids. You need to know that it is ok to not go to a gym, but it is not ok to be inactive.
So, while I do not "workout" everyday, I find ways to stay active. I will share these ideas with you in case you are in a similar situation as me.
- Lots of walking. Stoller walks are the obvious way to do it, but I also like to kill 2 birds with one stone and do extra walking while we are out. For example: yesterday we parked at one store in the strip mall and walked clear across the huge parking lot to get to the other store that we also had to go to.
- Lots of lifting. Not free weights, but my 22 lb kid.
- Lots of stairs. Especially when I am feeling lazy watching a tv show at night, I will walk up and down the stairs during commercials.
- "Lots" of cleaning. Ok, so maybe I don't clean lots. But when I feel like I need to be more active at home I usually find something to clean.
- Lots of playing. Playing with Noah is the best form of exercise for my body and my heart. My heart is happy when I hear the giggles of my little boy after throwing him up in the air, not to mention my arms are sore if I do it enough times.
It is great if you are able to do a traditional workout or run regularly, but the point I am trying to make is that there are plenty of ways to get exercise. Chances are, you know whether or not you are being active and chances are your body can tell you whether or not you are active enough.
Here are just a couple questions to ask yourself to see if you are active enough:
- Are you overweight?
- Do you have a healthy BMI and/or body fat percentage?
- Do you get out of breath easily?
- Do you sit most of the day or have a desk job?
Start walking more, climbing more stairs, lifting more things, cleaning more, and playing more. Then you will definitely be heading in the right direction.