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
Sleeping Beauty Leg Exercise
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.
(Calf) Raise the Bar
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.
At-Work Workout
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!
Traffic Jam Session
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!
In the Hot Seat
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.
Playtime Meets Gym Time
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.
Torch Calories—and Grime
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!
Burn Calories, Not Dinner
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.
Walk Around the Block
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.
Sunset Salutations
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!
Bonus Tip
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!
GIVEAWAY
******UPDATE******
Congratulations to Anne D., our lucky giveaway winner! We truly appreciate everyone that shared their quick exercise tips to stay in shape!
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).
Giveaway rules:
- To enter, simply comment on this post.
- Contest ends at 11:59 p.m., MT, on Thursday September 15th
- One winner will be chosen at random and announced on the blog on Friday September 16th.
- Click here for official rules.
Every morning I wake up, I diffuse EnRgee with Citrus Fresh and do an energizing warm up. Squats, mountain climbers, and plank. 30 seconds of each and complete 3-4 rounds. At the end, I feel so ready to start my day! 💕💪🏻🌤
In spite of knée and hip issues that come with getting older (sigh) I like to go geocaching for fun and exercise. I especially like to take a grandkid or two with me and find caches in parks or interesting historical sites. Hunting for “treasure” with the kids makes excerise more fun than effort!
I love to fit in planks and squats throughout the day.
When I blow dry my hair, or another bathroom mirror function, I do leg lifts for the glutes. Lift each leg up behind me several times.
I make sure I walk every hour or so away from my desk, and I always get 10,000 steps or more every day. I love drinking grapefruit vitality in my water all day too.
I make sure if I have time between tasks I do mini exercises like a few squats, lunges, flexing stomach muscles, etc or even while I’m doing other tasks like leg lifts while I stand and do dishes…. when I get a good workout in and feel the burn a little too much, I use my oils to help refresh, recharge, and soothe me! You can turn everyday tasks into exercises too… who needs an elevator when you have the stairs!
Love these suggestions! <3 I have been doing Yoga every night. I love panaway on my legs after stretching and I diffuse Frankincense and Lavender while I do Yoga!
I like to do a flight of stairs up and down 4x in a row Pacing myself, taking rests when needed. RC Essential Oil rubbed on my wrists just before helps my mind and muscles power through it!
When the opportunity arises, I sit straight in a chair, raise my legs off the floor and flutter kick with a tight tummy! Not very strenuous, but keeps the abs tighter.
Walking the dog at the end of the day. Helps calm them down from the day and you get some exercise in.
I love adding whatever Vitality oils I have to a shot glass full of NingXia Red to get my day started. Whether I’m going to the gym or just running errands with my small children in tow (always an arm workout!), it gives me energy that other drinks just can’t deliver.
I grab a piece of laundry and fold it while walking a lap around our kitchen/living room. Repeat until the entire basket is folded. :)
Doing a Shawn T workout!!
It is important to find something that you enjoy so try different things until you find what works best for you. Exercise is part of a wellness lifestyle. It is important to do something that focuses on balance, flexibility, cardio, and resistance on a regular basis. What works best for me is to do exercise bursts throughout the day at different times for about 15 minute periods rather than to exercise all at once for a long period of time. For many it is easier to motivate yourself for a shorter period of time rather than thinking you need to carve out an hour or more.
Positive daily habits! Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a work out, but focus on choosing positive daily habits that will add up over time for a healthier you – whether that be taking a brisk walk when you can’t get to the gym or standing more at the office if you’re in front of a computer. Consistent, healthy choices will pay off in the long run!
I love to stretch my psoas muscles every hour by doing forward lunges.
I love walking my dogs around the neighborhood! We also have a park close by where I can let them off leash so they can run free while I get some body weight exercises in. Squats, Lunges, Pushups, etc. They are the best workout partners because they have to come along :)
These are awesome reminders that it’s not difficult to be proactive in living a healthy lifestyle!! Thanks!!!
I like to drive over to the boardwalk and walk there with the gorgeous ocean and beach views. My husband prefers to spend an hour at Jiu Jitsu.
My favorite exercise is a good long walk!!
Jogging with the dog. It’s good for both of us!
Taking a break from my desk during the work day and getting in some squats and Ningxia Red perks me up in the middle of the day!
I do a modified version of squats when my one year old is fussy. He likes to be bounced so I hold him while doing them! Not as easy as he gets bigger!
While at home do push-ups and / or planks each time you use the bathroom.
Throwing toddler in the air and wrestling with him! Playing soccer or baseball with him and actually running! :).
When I am standing at the sink doing dishes I try to do as many squats and calf raises as I can. This is multitasking at its best!
Parking further away whenever you go somewhere gets in a little more exercise! Also, bike rides with the kids are always fun!!
Take 10 minutes each day at work to do a mini workout…gets your blood flowing and makes you more productive!
I’ve started really watching my activity on a daily basis. As a homeschool, work-from-home mom, it’s very easy to be too sedentary throughout the day. I’ve started parking in the back of parking lots, not asking the kids to run an errand up- or down stairs, and taking evening power walks if I haven’t met my step count during the day. 💪
Do squats when taking laundry out of the dryer.
I love to take a 15-30 minute walk!! Get out in nature and exercise at the same time!!❤️❤️
To squeeze in some exercise with having three kids under four I will use them as weights! Have them on my legs as we walk around, lift them up and do arm reps.
Taking a walk on your lunch hour. With your water bottle and Vitality EO’s!
I love doing squats during dish time. I also love to bench press my toddler for a twist on the push up exercise.
I love how simple it made getting in a few exercises a day seem! We have a standing desk and I love it and can totally see benefits already! Now to add in a few of these little tips! :) Thank you!
I try to incorporate exercise through out my day. Do leg-lifts while brushing my teeth, side-steps while ironing, squat instead of bending over to empty the clothes dryer. Every little bit of extra movement adds up!
Absolutely love beach body on demand to get my workouts in! Especially now since I’m pregnant, I like to do 30 min workouts so there’s no excuse not do exercise. Also, when it’s not super hot like it’s been I will take my yorkie mix doggie for a walk!
I do leg lifts while I brush my teeth. When I use the restroom, I try to do 10 or 15 squats when I finish.
Stand up and move. Instead of sitting at my desk, I like to get up and rock back and forth, working my leg muscles.
I do my best to turn any time that would typically be spent standing or sitting still into some sort of movement, whether it’s a stretch or quick exercise moves. This helps to keep me from feeling drowsy as the afternoon wears on!
As an active mom of two children, I really enjoyed these tips! I immediately began trying “In the Hot Seat” while I read the rest of the article. I also love to diffuse Frankincense while doing yoga poses. Thanks for sharing!
I don’t have big blocks of time to get in a workout so I do mini workouts throughout the day. Do squats while brushing your teeth, a wall sit while waiting on the toaster, do lunges while picking up toys, etc. It might not seem like enough while you’re doing it, but it really adds up quickly.
I love calf raises while making dinner and filling water bottles!
When I’m working around the house and start to feel sluggish, I like doing jumping jacks to help get me moving! It also helps me focus on cleaning!
Don’t forget to get outside if you can! Lead by example and take your kids for a walk! :)
By adding weights or resistance to my workout. Trying different workout helps keep things challenging.
Add resistance or weight to the workout.
Really great ideas.
Love all these tips. Yet another reminder that you can always be working on your health and body all throughout the day.
While walking the dog, do short sprints… walk, run, walk!
Plan your hydration! I measure out my water the night before in Mason Jars so I know I have consumed half my body weight in water every day.
Hi Amy,
Sounds like a great exercise tip! Thanks for sharing!
I have to be sure not to skip meals or I then overeat. I also like to add a drop of Slique, lemon or grapefruit to my water because it helps me drink more! I also rub a bit of stress away on my neck before yoga class.
When I remember, I do kegal exercises while I wash dishes. It’s a strange type of multi-tasking in my opinion, but I managed to get used to it. 💖😄
One of my favorite ways is walking. From taking the stairs instead of the elevator or choosing a parking space far from the building at work to a longer walk on the weekend, its something everyone can do.
There are several little things I like to do while at work (I work in a restaurant). “Always walk like you’re late” is something I was told when delivering food. Not too fast to where you crash into someone or drop what you are carrying, but quick enough that you are not only getting hot food out, but also gives your heart rate a little burst. When I need to bend to get something (usually ketchup or steak sauce) from the low cabinets I squat instead of bend at the waist. Another thing I like to do are calf raises while I’m ringing in an order or filling a soda (Might look silly but even if I only do one and hold it on my tip toes it’s still something!) And lastly when I roll silverware in the back I step in place, or sway, or more calf raises! Helps me get my steps count in for the day, and keeps me moving!
I like the idea of working off the calories while cooking doing jumping jacks before eating with calories. Just watch out you don’t burn your dinner🙆♨😵