I did 50 squats, 40 leg lifts, tons of lunges, and jogged in place the other morning. I got in a serious 20 minute workout. By the time I got home, I was really sweating. Okay, so you’re probably going, “Big deal. So did I”. What’s the difference? I did mine while I was walking my dogs.
For some reason, I started doing side leg lifts while my pups were having a big sniff around a tree. I guess I got bored as I didn’t have my phone with me either. After we moved on and then stopped again, I started doing squats. The pattern kept repeating and I added jogging in place to the routine. Suddenly, we were home, the walk was over, and I was like, “Wow, I just got in a good workout”.
This started me thinking how many other opportunities to get in a quick workout I’ve been missing and where could I add this new found routine into my life. Hey, you have to put in the time anyway, so why not get some benefit out of it. Besides, some days it’s really hard to get a workout in at all and every little bit really does help.
What I did realize was that I could double the workout if I took my 2 dogs out separately, which I have started doing. I was a bit worried if it would have a negative effect on them, but they seem to be fine with having me all to themselves.
Getting my lunge in walking Abby.
So, here are some places and activities I came up with where you can sneak in a bit of a workout. I’m sure there are many more and of course, it does depend on what you’re wearing…
- Walking the dog
- Waiting in a doctor’s office and waiting…
- Waiting in any line
- At an airport waiting for your flight
- Watching your kids at any sporting event – outdoor much easier
- Watching your partner in a triathlon race
- Playing golf and waiting for your turn or the foursome in front of you to tee off
- Drying your hair
You really do have to not care what people think – your ego has to be left at home. I’m sure while I was doing my squats, people driving by taking their kids to school thought I looked weird, but I didn’t care – I kept doing my squats! Actually, I’m hoping they were going, “Why didn’t I think about that?”
If you don’t want to really work up a sweat, you could still do exercises like leg lifts, squats, and lunges. Even stretching and doing your upper body weight routine sans weights would be a great use of your time. I’ve actually added some stretches to my dog walks. Side stretches, forward bends, and back bends really feel good first thing in the morning…
Just think if I had been doing this every morning and afternoon when I walked my dogs for the past 30 years; stopped reading outdated magazines in doctors’ offices and did a few stretches instead; got in some jumping jacks while I watched the kids soccer games….Now I’m depressed I wasted all this time when I could have been in much better shape…
Where do you sneak in a bit of exercise?
Sherry is one of the TriWivesClub and LifeDoneWell co-founders and contributes to multiple blogs. She is a former co-owner of the California Apparel News and had a career in the healthcare industry. Her passions include traveling, real food, the environment, and animal rescue/welfare. She lives a healthy lifestyle and has been a vegetarian since 1987. She and her husband are parents to two rescue pups and reside in Connecticut.
