Incorporating Workouts & Healthy Living Into Everyday Life
For some of us, there truly isn’t enough hours in the day. Between school, work, personal ventures, and a social life… something has to give. And unfortunately for some of us out personal health suffers. But here are some quick life hacks you can use in your everyday life to get some extra exercise and improve your overall well being.
1. Sitting on a Exercise Ball while working
Spineuniverse explains that sitting on a stability ball can improve stability and balance because doing so is said to constantly engage the core abdominal muscles. Stronger ab muscles protect the lower back and promote better posture, and can be the result of using the stability ball. A study in the "Journal of Canadian Chiropractic Association" by chiropractors Larry G. Merritt and Celynne M. Merritt showed that two people who reportedly suffered from lower back pain improved when they began consistently sitting on a stability ball. Of course, results vary by individual, and not everyone experiences these results.
2. Taking the stairs/parking in the back of the parking lot
This one is self explanatory. Nowadays, everything has the ability to track steps, and steps, no matter how small they may seem, it all adds up. The average person takes anywhere from 5,000 - 7,000 steps a day which is about a mile and that number increases in those who are actually tracking their daily steps. So push for that 7,000 mark and park in the back of the parking lot, or stop a couple floors below the one you need and take time to get those extra steps in where you can. It will pay off in the long run.
3. Only drink water throughout the day,
Reserve flavored beverages (not soda) for meal times only and try to limit those refills! Personally, I made the decision to stop keeping juice/soda in my house to limit how often I crave it, and I noticed that over time, I had no desire to drink juice or soda. I also noticed that my desire to consume sweets in general decreased because my tolerance for sweets was lower. Most treats I used to enjoy are now too sweet because my body isn’t used to consuming so much sugar.
LIFEHACK: To combine 2 and 3, for those of you working sedentary positions (office jobs) you could fill your water bottle half way, so you will have the chance to get those steps in when you need to refill it.
4. Squats during commercial breaks
Plan a wine night with your girlfriends, or while your watching Monday night football get in some squats or pushups. You could make a game out of it. Maybe every time the opposing team scores, you do 20 pushups. Or maybe every time an agreed upon word is said in your favorite show, you do some squats. However you go about it, make it fun.. And before you know it, you’ll be toned!