subject: Be Creative With "Hidden" Exercise [print this page] Be Creative With "Hidden" Exercise Be Creative With "Hidden" Exercise
Find Ways To Get More Exercise Every Day
by Michael D. Hume, M.S.
I have a few letters to mail out today. I was planning on driving by the mailbox there on my next trip to the grocery store... but it's a nice day here, there's a mailbox about half-a-mile down the road, and I think I'll take a walk down there. I'm going to enjoy the fresh air and sunshine, maybe save an eyedropper full of gasoline, and (most importantly) get some extra exercise.
Many of my clients are busy, busy people. They own a business, or are working long hours to manage things in these tough economic times. I coach them to maintain good vitality, because they need energy to run their businesses, but I often hear the complaint that they just don't have the time to "do it right." Who does have time, these days, to take up a big, involved program of exercise?
You should do everything you can to make time for your health. But if you truly can't take on a regular exercise regimen, be creative. Find ways to get your heart rate up - at least a little - by finding hidden exercise in your everday chores.
Take the stairs, not the elevator. Even if you can't do it every time, see how often you can. When I'm on the road, staying in a hotel or working in a tall building, I have a personal rule that the elevator's off-limits for any upward ride of fewer than two floors, and any downward ride of fewer than four. What rule makes sense for you?
Ride your bike, or walk, for transportation. Back during my high-vitality Army days, I sold my car and bought a bicycle. I was determined that I could make my commute to the post by bike, and decided that if I went anyplace during evenings and weekends, I'd have to want to go there enough to ride the bicycle. I sure was in good shape back then! Even now, in my middle years, I sometimes use leg power when others wouldn't. For instance, our Palm Springs home is an hour away from the airport by foot, and half-an-hour by bicycle. I know this because I've used my legs to get to and from the airport many times, for brief trips when I didn't need more luggage than a backpack.
Even if you're using an automobile, don't park as close as you can. Park at the far end of the parking lot, and force yourself to use your legs to get indoors.
Add a few seconds to your day by doing some unnecessary trips up and down the stairs. Jog, if you can. Once you've gone downstairs for whatever you went after, jog up, then back down, then back up again. The energy you get from doing things like this makes them seem less crazy, and makes the rest of your day go better. And exercise, even in small chunks, is the BEST way to thwart stress.
What other "hidden" exercise ideas can you come up with?
I wrote a bit of this, then took a break to make my way to the mailbox down the street. While I was strolling, I did a fair amount of the thinking you have to do when you write and publish every day. I came up with more good ideas for this piece, and I also got a better focus on two other articles I have in mind for the next few days. When I got back, not only did I quickly finish this piece, but I also got a good start on the other two, all in the time I'd budgeted for this one. Fresh air, sunshine, and exercise can do wonders. So be creative in thinking of everyday ways to get more exercise, and know that the extra "hidden" exercise will also help unlock the creativity you need to fuel your business... and your life.
