You Can Exercise Anytime Anywhere

I few days ago I told you that I would show you how to get a workout in in just a few minutes a day. For those of you who just don't have the time to get fit, listen up.

You don't have to have a big block of time to work out dureing the day. There are great benefits to breaking up your workout into 5 to 10 minute chunks, three times a day. You can do quick bursts of exercise anytime, anywhere.

First thing in the morning while you are waiting for your coffee to brew, do 50 squats. I have said before that exercise is scalable, so do the quantity that is good for you. If you are just starting out, go the the corner at your kitchen countertop. Face the cabinets and put both hands on the countertop edge, one hand on each of the right angle edges formed by the corner. Keeping your back straight, lower yourself as far as you can go and return to the standing position. Repeat as many times as you can.

If you want, you can follow this up with slow and easy stretching. As a hint, when you are stretching your legs, relax, and exhale. I have seen people hold their breath and force a stretch. That is a battle and nothing good can come from it. Relax! Exhale, and slowly stretch.

You can always mix this up, too. Add some toe raises. Stand facing a wall and put a short length of 2 x 4 parallel to the wall. If you don't have a 2 x 4, use your imagination. Put your old encyclopedias to work! Position your toes on the book or 2 x 4 so that your heals are lower than your toes. Use the wall for balance. With both feet, raise yourself up and down for as many reps as possible.

There! Inside ten minutes you got a good workout in. At lunch and dinner, even before bed, you can add other brief exercise sessions. I will have more on this tomorrow!

If you need some motivation to get started, Read Jon Benson's Fit Over 40.