Exercise Strategies For Stationary People

Image by Pink Sherbet Photography on Flickr

In my busy 9-to-5 (or -6 or -7) lifestyle -- one that largely involves sitting on my butt while my one typing hand travels over the keyboard at hummingbird-level speed -- it's hard to fit in a regular gym schedule. I know people do it all the time -- getting up earlier, fitting it into lunch -- but it has so far been a challenge for me. Needless to say, I'm pretty concerned about getting enough physical activity into my day.

However there are many ways I can -- and do! -- get more exercise in an unconventional way:

1) The Lunchtime Walk: I've discussed this a bit in my article "7 Easy Steps For Better Health." Basically, this strategy involves actually stepping outside my temperature-controlled, hermetically-sealed work environment and into the Outside. Walks can vary from ten minutes to almost a full hour, and can be both freeform ("I haven't seen this part of the neighborhood yet") or goal-oriented ("shopping!"). It doesn't matter the reason -- it doesn't even matter if you have to "bribe" yourself some days with a "reward" to make the trek (like I do with an inexpensive gift to myself, when the weather is looking uninviting). It only matters that it gets done. 

2) Housecleaning: Whether in many bite-sized sections or huge multi-room "megacleanings," I count housework as a type of exercise. For instance, I got up at 6:00 this morning and did a very thorough cleaning of our kitchen: bundling-up and throwing out trash, breaking-down cardboard boxes for recycling, sweeping, mopping, scrubbing dishes and counters, etc. This took a little over an hour of sustained physical activity to do -- and when I was done, it felt like a workout! Again, this is something that needs to be worked into a daily routine to be most effective; even on a really busy workday, doing a specific cleaning task like the laundry or sweeping floors can really help both add to your physical activity...and keeping your house in order!

3) Taking The Long Way Home (Or To Work): Another really easy strategy you can employ on a daily basis. Since I take a subway to work, I just get off a stop earlier and add walking the extra blocks to my "exercise" total for the day. I also sometimes choose a different train line than the one that is nearest to my destination, if I know the resulting path to work or home might be more "scenic." If you drive to work, maybe you could park further away and walk (if that's an option). 

Image by lululemon athletica on Flickr

4) Using The Stairs: It takes a lot of motivation to regularly choose the stairs instead of escalators and elevators. But it really really really gives you a workout, pushing your legs to move. In fact, once you start taking the stairs on a regular basis, it won't even feel that much like a workout anymore!

5) Do Workouts On The Weekend: I find it a lot easier to get in exercise at a gym, or attend yoga classes, on the weekend. Obviously, it's because I just have more time to devote to it...and also because it feels less like a "task" and more like a fun recreational diversion. Surely, scheduling workouts throughout the entire week would be ideal. But if it is a choice between getting in one or two gym sessions a week, or zero sessions a week, the former is better than nothing. Plus: I can carry around the self-confidence that I'm at least stepping into a gym or yoga facility once a week, every week.

With all these strategies, a self-trust consciousness -- not a censuring, "deprivation" consciousness -- is key. As I explain in my article "Why Going Cold Turkey Doesn't Work," getting caught up in an all-or-nothing Perfectionist Fallacy sets you up for failure. There are going to be days when you skip your routine for whatever reason. When those times happen -- and they will happen -- you need to be kind to yourself, then double your commitment to keep going on your exercise program (whether it be conventional or, as listed here, unconventional). The goal is that you move your body every day; not just the bare minimum to get you to work and back. And just keep going. Keep going.