Starting a fitness routine is a challenge, starting one at home on your own time is even more of a challenge. Many people have memberships to gyms, yoga studios and other fitness centres and they very rarely attend.
Having a fitness routine, needs to be exactly that a routine. In order to maintain and continue on a regular basis you need to make it convenient and a part of your daily life, just like brushing your teeth.
A fitness routine doesn’t have to be two hours on a treadmill or even a 20km run, but rather it can be as simple as 10 minutes a day. It is easier to commit to something that is more attainable, like 10 minutes a day, than finding 2 hours every day to exercise. Like new year’s resolutions we often commit to something that is unattainable, rather than starting with what we can work with, 10 minutes a day.
Lots can happen in 10 minutes a day, here are 5 ways to incorporate exercise into 10 minutes per day;
Go For A Walk – Take the dog for a longer walk than just out for a quick bathroom break, he will like it too. Find time to go for a walk, whether its 10 minute stroll around the block before jetting off to work or after you get home, or even better, take a 10 minute break during your day to get some fresh air.
Take the Stairs – Forget the elevator, did you know that just by taking the stairs you can increase your physical exercise.
Set a Time of Day – Okay, so you want a little more activity, perhaps you want to go for a run or a hike or even do some pushups. Set a time of day when it is most feasible to do this, whether the morning or after work, make this 10 minutes of your day consistent, just like setting your alarm to get up, set it for 10 minutes earlier.
Dance – Dancing is a great way to exercise, burn off tension from your day and get a full body workout. So when you get home from a long day at the office, put on your favourite tune, and dance. Nobody can see you!
Keep at It – Okay, so one day you did 10 minutes, the next you only took the stairs and the next you didn’t do anything. Don’t beat yourself up, in those moments of down time think what can I do in this moment, and get up and try again. Just because you miss a day doesn’t mean you don’t have a program, keep at it!
Studies have shown that over 90% of what we do everyday is out of habit. Human beings are creatures of habit, which is a very helpful ability in many ways.
Habits are hard to break once they have been created. Design your exercise program in a way that makes it impossible not to practice it. The reason is that the more consistent an action is, the more likely it is to be a habit.
