Body Blasts For the Busy Bee

By Laura Stewart

Jazzercise - Capital Clubhouse

More Weight Control, Nutrition & Exercise Articles

Body Blasts For the Busy Bee

In today's hectic world, women often balance demanding schedules while juggling multiple roles mom, spouse, employee, and volunteer, to name a few. If you're among those who feel like 24 hours in a day are simply not enough, or making it to a fitness class feels as impossible as attempting to defy gravity, fret not. With a bit of creativity, you can find simple ways to stay active and boost your overall well-being without sacrificing any amount of significant time.

Although shorter exercises may not feel like much, research shows that even 5-10 minutes of moderate physical activity per day provides substantial health benefits. This includes staving off chronic conditions like heart disease, diabetes, and even anxiety and depression. We'd say that's reason enough to fit in exercise so here are some ways to find the time to exercise.

At Work

Walk or bike to work if possible. If you drive to work, park on the far end of the parking lot. Additional walking on a regular basis adds up to a significant amount of heart healthy activity.

Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Take two at a time for an extra challenge.

Look for opportunities to stand since you burn more calories while standing than you do sitting. Stand while talking on the phone, or walk to other work stations to talk to your colleagues rather than calling or e-mailing them.

At Home

Find the high-energy items on your to-do list and tackle them whenever you feel in need of physical activity. Wash the car, mow the lawn, dig the garden, or reorganize the closet.

If you've got a young sports enthusiast, play along. Shooting baskets or kicking a soccer ball around the yard or park are great ways to get your blood pumping while also bonding with your kiddos.

Invent dance routines or practice a routine you just learned in class.

Do push-ups, plies, and lunges during TV commercial breaks.

In General

Opt for an early bird workout before the rest of the family is up to invigorate yourself and free up the rest of your day.

Break up your exercise. Got 10 free minutes three different times throughout the day? That amounts to a solid half hour of calorie burning.

Opt for an intense and effective workout that gives you more bang for your workout buck, and time. Fitness classes, such as Jazzercise dance fitness classes, can do just that by doubling the intensity.