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How to sneak in a workout

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Research has shown that you don’t need to exercise at the gym for an hour a day to get the benefits of regular exercise. Even 10 minutes of exercise three times a day is enough for your body to really feel it. This study even shows that a mere 2.5 minutes of exercise is enough to give you an all-day kilojoule burn.

Here are some tips on how to fit in some exercise:

Get up earlier

Just getting up 15 to 20 minutes earlier every day will allow you to get some exercise in before the madness of the day kicks in. You could go for a short, brisk walk while the air is still fresh and crisp, or you could do some exercises in your lounge.

Exercising in the morning is a great way to kick-start your day and once it’s out of the way and those endorphins are flowing the chances are you will feel great all day.

Split your workout up

If you have a busy schedule that isn’t real conducive to fitting in a full 30 minutes or more of exercise, why not spilt it up? You could do some push-ups or skipping for 10 minutes in the morning, some squats at lunchtime or walk around your office block or up and down some stairs and then finish off with a short walk in the evening.

Read this article for some tips on how to fit in a workout in the workplace.

Multi-task during the day

No-one said exercise has to be in a gym, and with a little bit of creative thinking you could fit in a mini-workout without going out of your way or disrupting your day.

For example if you attend your child’s sports events, instead of sitting watching why not walk around the field while you watch? Or if you sit at an office desk all day you could do some squats every time you go to the toilet, or use your water bottle to do some arm exercises while you’re on the phone.

At home in the evenings you could set up a stationary bike in front of the TV and cycle while you watch your favourite show. Alternatively you could jump up and do some jumping jacks or sit-ups during the advert breaks.

Every little bit helps, and what might start out as a little quirk at first could soon become a very healthy habit.

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