Baby steps for giant strides

Today was my day off from work, but when you live a crazy full life like most of us do, days off aren't even close to relaxing or free. I spent the day running errands, doing more homework, packing up more boxes and cleaning. I can almost say it was harder to fit in a workout on my day off than it is when I'm working a double shift. lol

But I did manage to fit in a nice 105 minutes of cardio and 10 minutes of stretching today, and I did it on my own time.

What does that mean, "my own time"? Well, the thing about exercise is that it isn't an ALL OR NOTHING game. Doing 100 minutes of cardio works just as well when you get all 100 minutes in one run on a treadmill or if you do it in ten minute spurts. 100 minutes, is 100 minutes of cardio all the same.

Today I managed to squeeze in my usual hour on the elliptical at the gym, and I even sprung for an extra 15 minutes after the hour was up so I could watch the rest of the ANTM episode on my screen, lol.

Later on when I was at home, I wanted to get my stretching and a bit more cardio in while I watched my HGTV shows, but at the same time I was working on my homework for the week. So what I did was I split my time between the two by doing 10 minutes on my elliptical or stretching then 30 minutes on the homework. Lather/rinse/repeat.

Just because you don't have 2 hours to spend at the gym, doesn't mean you can't get in two hours worth of exercise in a day. It all adds up. Here's some ideas on how to get your cardio in little spurts all day:

1. Take the stairs a few times a day. Going up to your office and back down again a few times each can add up to 5 minutes of stair climbing, which can burn up to 60 calories in just those 5 minutes.

2. Go for a short run. Whether its on your own treadmill at home or just around the block once or twice, going for a run for 10-15 minutes can burn up to 200 calories. Fit a few of these short runs in each day and you can get your entire cardio regimen in without breaking your routine!

3. Stretch through your TV time. While unwinding after a hard day at work, nothing feels better than to relax with your favorite snacks and your favorite TV shows. At least that's how I feel about it. But you can use this relaxy time to give your muscles a cool down as well by stretching them out while you watch the tube. Stretching can be as effective as light weightlifting when it comes to muscle building, since both cause the muscles to tear and rebuild themselves. The difference is that stretching is a no-impact way of achieving small toning results rather than more precise, larger scale muscle building.

So even if your day is crazy hectic, you can probably fit in just a little bit of exercise at random points throughout the day. The recommended average amount of cardio is 30 minutes a day, which you can do easily with a few quick spurts of energy usage, either at home, in the gym or around the office. And it all adds up to a healthy, fit you.