No Time (and other reasons not) to Exercise – What Can You Do?
Everyone who enjoyed it can cite the number one benefit of working from home: it’s time saving. Because they have more time on hand, and to beat the tedium of working from home, people have become more active physically.
If you’re one of those who have to return to your workplace, because working from home is no longer the default, how will this impact you? Will you give up the healthy lifestyle that you have picked up over the last 2 years?
In a recent survey, it is found that while 68% of Singaporeans exercise at least once a week, only 26% actually work out three times a week. The WHO recommends that at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise a week. That works out to 30 minutes over 5 days per week. So, really, exercising once a week may not be enough.
The Challenge – No time to exercise
You know how it is at the office: just when you were about to knock off from work, you received a message that something urgent has come up. You are required to deal with it before you leave for the day. Minutes morphed to hours, and before you knew it -it’s late. Or all the afterwork dinners and drinks, these can take time away from exercise.
If the lack of time is your challenge to maintain a schedule for exercise, what can you do? Here are some suggestions.
1) Be flexible with your exercise schedule
If you can't find 30 minutes in your day, divide your workout time into two 15-minute increments. Try to incorporate physical exercises into your everyday routine. For example, after lunch, you may go for a 15-minute walk. If the weather is too hot and it’s not feasible to that, why not incorporate brisk walk after work? You may alight one or two MRT stations earlier and walk home from there. Would it be feasible for you to cycle to work? Or if working out daily on a weekday is nearly impossible, why not spend 15 minutes exercising 3 times a week and longer sessions on the weekend?
2) Make time to exercise, make it fun
Let’s be honest. Often the lack of time is merely an excuse for not exercising. We make time for social engagements and other activities – because we find these pleasurable. On the other hand exercise may seem less pleasurable. If exercising paints a mental picture of pounding away at the treadmill or sweating away at the gym, then change that perception. Exercising can include any physical activities, including those you enjoy. Cycling, swimming, tennis, or even dancing are also forms of exercising. The point is to get our bodies moving.
If you find exercising alone is no fun, find an exercise buddy. Better yet, get your family members to join you!
3) Beat tiredness by exercising
Tiredness that keeps us from exercising at the end of the day is primarily due to mental exhaustion. You will feel considerably more rejuvenated after exercising. When you're too exhausted to exercise, the remedy is to do so. Begin with low- to moderate-intensity activity. Consider walking or biking. Gradually progress to greater moderate or high-intensity exercise. Exercising with a buddy might inspire you to continue exercising even when you are weary.
Whatever your preferred form of exercise is, being conscious of how an active lifestyle can positively impact your health is a great motivator. Whenever you work out under the sun, remember to protect your eyes. Donning a pair of sunglasses not only serves to protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, they also add zest to your outfit. As many athletes can attest to, Sunday Shades is their preferred sports sunglasses. Sunday Shades feature UV 400 protection, are polarized, great to look at and easy on the pockets. All Sunday Shades are super lightweight (just 22g), Asian-fit and they don’t bounce. Check them out today!