This article is written for Evolving Wellness by Andrew Salmon. Andrew is a freelance writer and published author.
We know how it works: if we take in more calories than our bodies can burn, the excess gets stored as fat.
It sounds like a pretty simple trap to avoid only we know it isn’t. But there are ways to help maintain the balance between what we eat and what we burn.
Here are some fun ways to keep active during the workweek.
1. A Bicycle Built For You
Sure, I know that the idea of biking to the office during a thunderstorm may not sound like a good time, but when the sun’s out, a ride into work will give you a whole new perspective on where you live. Also, the aerobic benefit will keep your metabolism running high for a good hour after you’ve parked yourself at your desk, burning calories all the while. An evening ride after dinner is a great way to keep those digestive juices flowing while spending quality time with the family.
2. Park A Few Blocks From Work
If your commute to work is too long or biking is simply not an option, another alternative would be to park the car a few blocks from the office and walk the rest of the way. You’ll get that heart rate up safely and walking is a low impact aerobic exercise, which means it will burn more fat than carbs and protein.
3. Turn Your Workplace Into A Workout
Now if you work in construction or on a loading dock, this has been done for you. However if you’re confined to a desk for most of the day, you can still get a workout in-between shuffling those papers. Here’s how: Forget the elevator, take the stairs. If you’ve brown-bagged a healthy lunch, don’t eat it at your desk, walk down to the food court to eat with your co-workers and take a short walk outside after you’re done. Walk back up to the office when that work whistle blows.
4. Walking
While on the subject of walking, this is, overall, the most fun way to keep active during the workweek. And the easiest. Walking around at work is great but why not keep it up? Walking to sight-see around your neighbourhood, solitary wool-gathering or to spend time with the family all add up to fun and fat burning.
5. Rock and Roll
If you find you’ve just got to have a few hours in front of the TV in order to unwind, that’s fine. But instead of stretching out on the sofa, buy a comfortable rocking chair and use that while watching TV. You’ll be adding a bit of exercise while watching your favorite program.
6. Sports
This is one of those can’t miss options. We all grew up in parks and playgrounds and we all had our favorite sports we loved to play: baseball, hockey, football, tennis, golf, skiing, skating or tiddlywinks. So get outside and play! Join a team, find a racket partner, hit the slopes, throw that ball. There are sports for all seasons and all shapes and sizes of participants. And the name of the game is fun! Remember if exercise is fun, then it’s not exercise. It’s living.
Conclusion
Get moving is the simplest suggestion but often is the hardest to act on. Staying active via any kind of exercise releases endorphins, which improve our mood and how we feel about life in general. Find an activity you love to do and jump in with both feet. You’ll relieve stress, improve your health, improve your life and have fun doing it.
*Photograph provided by Incase Designs
About The Guest Author
Andrew Salmon is a freelance writer, who, in addition to contributing blog posts about healthy living and financial topics such as life insurance, is also a published author who has been featured on Amazon. He lives in Vancouver, BC and writes science-fiction, classic pulp fiction and superhero tales for the masses. Andrew’s favorite sports are hockey and football.
9 Comments to “6 Fun Ways to Keep Active During the Workweek”
These are all great suggestions Andrew, that takes one out of the rut of being uncreative. By creating opportunities such these to feel something new in context to something that is ordinary, it truly expands our world leading us down entirely new paths of exploration. Soon one is relating to life where each moment is unique, but it all starts by dislodging one’s self from the back-eddy’s of everyday life and lack lusting routines. Feel different….Think different….and become something different to entertain the soul.
Well said, Bern. Glad you liked the piece. In my opinion the basis for attaining or maintaining any level of fitness is to change things up every now and then. One needs only a little self-awareness to spot areas in one’s life where more motion can be incorporated. Exercise has to be something one does within one’s lifestyle, not something that one takes on.
And once one taps into and flows fluently with the motion, it no longer even can be described as exercise. It becomes the Love of the Moment….where one has attained pure health and perfect well being. It is what we all search for…..in everything we do. We do it, in essence, to become it. :)
I look forward to your next article Andrew.
Enjoy and feel the motions as they happen.
This is such a timely post – I have a job interview tomorrow! The building is just a block away from the sea, where there is a long and glorious esplanade, so I will definitely walk there, especially since I would have to arrive early to make the commute easier.
One more tip, which has made such a difference for our family’s health is having a pet.
We get a lot more exercise and meet many more people every day thanks to our little dog. making the commitment to walk her every day has provided us with tremendous physical and mental health benefits. (having a pet who thinks the world of you can make it easier to keep trying and not get down on yourself when you have those weight-management setbacks.)
Thanks for your valuable post.
Hi Atlanta
That is a wonderful tip to include here! Yes, having a dog normally gets a person out doors and moving! I think it is an amazing idea, just as long of course as the person has enough compassion for the animal to not let laziness take over, and disregard any walks or outdoor play with the animal, in which case it defeats the whole purpose.
Most people I know that got a dog, definitely increased their physical activity and also started to enjoy the outdoors more, in all sorts of weather! So thank you again for sharing your experience!
My favorite form of exercise is to get out and take photos. I find that when I am focused on finding a great subject or shot I totally forget about the aches and pains that accompany the search. Concerns about crowds also seem to evaporate. Looking at photos taken in the last couple of years also motivates us to take another vacation or just go out and search for more. It’s a great hobby and one that is potentially life changing.
Hi David
That sounds wonderful! It is a great way I bet to get in a lot of walking and even bending, etc. And like you said as you immerse yourself in the beauty of what you see, you forget or perhaps the pain and any discomfort just dissipate.
Thank you for that wonderful comment!
Awesome suggestions. Be active and live a healthy lifestyle everyday. We eat the right food but we must also exercise or remain active to burn the food we eat. These suggestions will make exercising fun and easy too.