Many of my one to one clients haven’t done much formal exercise for years. Many of them have really busy jobs and spend much of their days at a desk or in meetings.
Often they’re collapsing on the sofa at the end of the day, or back on their laptop finishing things off once the children are in bed. And the big question is:
How can they possibly fit in time for exercise?
Oh, I know that feeling well.
There are two things I get people doing.
Moving more
Exercising smart
Movement is magic
Our bodies are designed to move, and move regularly. So taking the long way round when you go to a meeting, or grab a cuppa, or go to the loo - this all gets the step count up and gets you moving more.
Do a couple of squats while you wait for the kettle to boil, or do heel raises while you brush your teeth. Movement helps our circulation, it helps our lymph system flow and therefore helps with eliminating toxins and waste products. It can also just keep you alert and focussed as you aid blood flow to the brain by moving around more. Running up the stairs because you’re late to a meeting...it can definitely help you wake up!
If you’ve had a stressful day then a brisk walk can actually help you lower cortisol levels.
Way back in the early 2000s I had a job that really took me out of my comfort zone and stressed me out, but I used to walk 3 miles through London to the office and back every day, which was a whole lot LESS stressful and more calming than taking the bus or tube. I’d arrive in the office having walked and thought my way through the tricky situations of the day and I’d get home having left it all behind.
Exercise smart
As well as moving more during our day, we also need to make sure we give our heart a workout to protect our cardiovascular system, ensure an element of impact to support our bones and build in strength training to keep our muscles strong and boost our metabolism.
This could be a mix of interval training and strength training. 15-20 minutes at a time. 2-3 times a week.
I like an early morning pyjama workout - a relatively high intensity interval training before breakfast! It can take just 5-10 minutes, using exercises like squats, lunges, press ups, high knee jog, hip bridges - do each one for 45 seconds, rest for 15 and move on to the next. Repeat 3 times and you’ll get your heart rate up. You can find SO many options for these online. The Body Coach is a popular one.
I’m a runner (but not everyone is!) so that’s where I get some of my impact and cardiovascular endurance training (hello hills). I’ll do some interval training if I haven’t got time for a long run during the week. A bike ride, a swim, a hilly walk are all great ways to get some cardio training that you can do with the rest of the family too.
My fresh air fitness classes incorporate a mix of these essentials for exercise too. And you have the added bonus of a boost from nature too.
As a health and fitness coach I work with women to find out how to fit both exercise and movement into their lives. It can be as simple as earmarking 2-3 days a week to walk or cycle to work, then an interval session twice a week at home or in a gym and a weekend run/swim.
It’s simple, and it’s not punishing, but it has a great impact on your mental and physical health. My job is to help you find ways to make it fun, easy and impactful in your busy life.
Get in touch if you’d like to find out how I can help.