Work, household chores, errands, playtime, dinner, laundry—with so many things to do and not many hours in the day, finding time to exercise is difficult. To help you fit in the physical activity your body craves, we’ve rounded up some simple, quick workout routines you can fit into your daily schedule. With these fast exercise ideas, you’ll be able to stay moving even when you don’t have time to hit the gym.
“You will never change your life until you change something you do daily. The secret of your success is found in your daily routine.” –John C. Maxwell
Wake up and warm up with this in-bed exercise! Lie on your back and lift your legs about 6 inches off the bed. Keep your abs tights, back flat, feet together, arms to your sides, and knees straight as you use your feet to draw small circles in the air without touching the bed. Do 20 circles clockwise and 20 circles counterclockwise.
Brush up on your calf raises while you brush your teeth! Start flat-footed and raise to your toes until you get a tight flex. Do 3 sets of 20 reps.
If you have a desk job, it’s important to get up and move at least every 2 hours. Do some standing stretches for your arms, neck, back, and legs; squat a few times; or walk around your floor or building. The movement helps your body and helps you clear your head and stay productive!
Stuck in 5 o’clock traffic? Turn up the radio and move to the beat. You’ll burn some extra calories and make the wait a little more fun. For an extra boost, add some ab, glute, or thigh flexing. Just make sure you keep an eye on the road and remember safety first!
Start by sitting up straight. Squeeze your glute muscles and pulse 50 times. Rest for 5 seconds and repeat until you feel a good burn. Take your desk workout a step further and work your thighs too! Place your feet on the floor with your legs together. Press your knees in so you feel your inner thighs working. Pulse 50 times and repeat as desired.
Make exercise fun for the kids! If you have a baby, hold a plank position on your hands for 30 seconds while your hover over him or her. Lower into a pushup and kiss your baby on the forehead. Come up and repeat as many times as you can. Give your legs some attention by doing wall sits as you read your children a book or review their homework.
Burn calories while you clean the carpet. Push the vacuum only as far as your arm extends and return it to your body without moving your feet. Switch arms every 5 minutes. This quick push-pull motion targets your arm muscles and burns up to 100 calories in 30 minutes! The heavier your vacuum, the more strengthening this exercise is. Use the same method of mopping and sweeping—you’ll burn up to 100 calories in 30 minutes while mopping and 100 calories in 45 minutes while sweeping. Burn a few extra calories and clean the baseboards too!
Take advantage of your downtime during dinner! Do some push-ups against the counter while the vegetables cook or jumping jacks while you wait for the water to boil. Do 3 sets of 20 reps of one or both exercises.
There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the classics, and a walk around the block is fun for the whole family. Take your kids, spouse, or dog for a 10-minute walk around the neighborhood. This is a great after-dinner activity to beat a post-meal crash. Plus, you can spend time with your family and stay moving.
Unwind after a long day with a few calming or rejuvenating yoga poses. Pair your practice with your favorite essential oils such as Frankincense, Lavender, or Stress Away™. Try some of our simple, sweat-free yoga poses to get started!
Remember to hydrate all day to make your moves most effective and keep your body healthy. Add Vitality™ oils to give your water an extra splash of flavor!
What exercise tips help you feel the burn throughout the day? Share your suggestions below for a chance to win 15ml Frankincense, 15ml Stress Away, 15ml Lavender, and Pure Protein Complete Vanilla Spice (valued at $252.30).
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Love all these ideas, especially the staying in bed leg stretches. Everyone thinks of "exercise" as this big time sucking tedious task to avoid. However, the small steps\ actions above are perfect little, squeeze ins that work your body a little at a time. Every little workout you can squeeze into each day is 1000 times better then not anything at all. Great job!
Parking in the back of the lot, walking to pick up lunch instead of ordering take out, setting stand up reminders, and walking to talk to people on another floor instead of emailing them are all things I do each day. It helps me not only be more active, but ensures that I take a break from my work occasionally.
One of our favorite way's to exercise is going for a bike ride with our children after dinner. We all get exercise and the kids burn up a lot of energy before getting ready for bed. It's a win..win, for all of us.
I enjoy getting up in the morning before my husband and kids...and in the quiet time I get in a work-out on the elliptical machine with stretching, sit-ups, and push-ups. Such a great way to focus and get my day started!!!
Tried the Torch Calories -and Grime. Perfect way to include working out in your daily chores.
I am a virtual office worker, working from home. I am on conference calls throughout the day. When I am on calls where I need to listen and not be engaged, I do plank challenges, increasing how long I hold plank.
I love to take evening walks with my husband. It's a time we cherish, where we can reconnect both as parents and as a couple. My morning routine is to start my diffuser and a simple yoga video, done before everyone else is awake...helps me to feel refreshed and strengthened before facing the responsibilities of the day.
Love these ideas! When I walk daily, even just move about , I am MIND FULL and INTENTIONAL to Stretch, Strengthen, Focus on a particular area my body needs support. Today, I will be doing lunges , taking frequent deep cleansing breaths, and toning my triceps, to keep those arm jingles at bay! #bestdayever!
I like the quote from John C.Maxwell, " You will never change your life until you change something daily" It made me realize that the changes I make don't have to be massive towards more exercise, they can be small changes while adding in more activity daily . It keeps me motivated with small rewards !!! I love adding peppermint to my water in the morning for a great wake up call .
My kids are still little enough to carry up and down the stairs in the morning and night. I do this daily to move the morning process along. I stand all day at work so I will walk around and do some calf work just by rocking up on my toes.