Getting exercise is as important to living a healthy lifestyle as the food choices you make. Countless research has shown that exercise increases blood flow, muscle mass, burns calories and has numerous other benefits. However, even when armed with the knowledge of the benefits that exercise provides most of us do not get enough.
Question: Why we don't get enough exercise
There are a myriad of reasons and excuses for our lack of time spent exercising. The most prevalent reason is the lack of free time to exercise. With today’s busy schedules, it is hard to find the time needed to take advantage of the health benefits that exercising offers. Most of us do not have the time to go for a leisurely walk around the block, let alone actually head to the gym for a workout.
Answer: indoor exercise
Thankfully, for all of us who are too busy to fit exercising in to our schedules, there are a number of ways to get the exercise we so desperately need without ever leaving our homes.
Exercising options
The most obvious way to get indoor exercise is by using any of a number of available exercise videos. These types of workout videos offer the user an array of choices for exercising without leaving the house. Most of these workout videos are also engineered to pack the most benefits into the least amount of time. This makes these a great choice for most people who want to exercise indoors.
The types of workouts that are offered vary greatly. Walking is a very popular form of outdoor exercising and has been modified for indoor exercise as well. The choices are almost endless, boxing, aerobics, stretching and yoga are just some of the programs that are available in video format. You will not get bored with the amount of variety available.
While videos offer convenient and effective forms of exercise, they are not the only means by which to accomplish the goal of being more active.
Everyday activities as exercise
Everyday activities are an excellent way to workout indoors. Normal tasks that are completed on a daily basis are a great way to add any needed exercise.
Doing laundry, for example, consists of weight lifting (basket full of clothes), bending, twisting and walking. These moves can be modified for more health benefits by exaggerating the movements needed to complete the task. Consider how many loads of laundry are done in a week, that‘s a lot of weight lifting. It is also a good idea to make sure to do extra basket lifts and walk each basket individually to put the clothes away. This will allow more walking and weight lifting to be included in an exercise routine.
Walking up and down a flight of stairs is good for the calves, thighs and butt. Doing this several times a day, such as when doing laundry, can provide an excellent source of indoor exercise. Stairs also work quite well for performing lunges. To do this, simply stand at the bottom of a staircase and place one foot flat on the floor while putting the other foot a couple of steps up, making sure it is flat also. Next, lean into the higher leg. Doing this will extend the muscles in the back of the leg and butt.
Household tasks such as mopping, sweeping and vacuuming can be boring and mundane. However, with a little effort and exaggerated movements, these tasks can also be a wonderful form of indoor exercise. These require you to stretch and bend, using arms, legs and upper body muscles.
Be a kid again!
It might also be fun to remember the types of activities you enjoyed as a child also. For example, jumping rope or jumping jacks are an excellent way to get exercise indoors as long as the ceiling is high enough. These exercises will get your blood pumping, getting your heart rate up and will have you feeling like a kid again in no time.
Conclusion
There are so many options for getting exercise without heading to the gym, or even outside. Everyday activities and some imagination are all that is needed to get you on the road to a healthier lifestyle.