The holiday season is in full swing, and we couldn’t be happier. It’s a great time of year to spend time with friends and family, attend holiday parties, and surprise loved ones with the perfect gift. It’s cold outside, though, and many of us use our gigantic “to-do” lists and the cold as an excuse to skip out on the most necessary part of the day. I know I have a tough time getting the work outs in some days. One or two days of this and you’ll find yourself out of your fitness habit. Don’t let that happen to you. Here are some great ways to get your exercise in, and, as a bonus, many of them use your favorite electronic devices AND keep you out of the cold weather!
Wii/Xbox with Kinect – Long gone are the days where playing games equals sitting still for hours. Both gaming systems get you up and active, jumping around and actively participating. They make exercise fun. I’m a not-so-secret fan of Just Dance 2. I can set it to the “tough” level, and before I know it, I’ve exceeded the level of exercise I’d planned – and I’m not even finished. My son and husband have regular ping pong championships, and I’ve heard rumors that I may be challenged to a boxing show down. (Psst! We are giving away a ton of Wii Fitness games in our Tech-nically Fit Gift Guide Giveaway, so make sure to enter!)
iPhone/Blackberry/Droid Apps – Each Smartphone has it’s own selection of fitness related apps to help you get your exercise done. Use your phone for more than texting/facebook/twitter (by the way, are you following us?) and download a new exercise. Maybe you want to run a 5K in the spring? Use your phone to get it done.
Break it down – Maybe you can’t fit an hour of exercise into your schedule. No problem – break that hour into four 15 minute segments or even six 10 minutes chunks. Spend each segment of time on a specific area – maybe you run stairs for the first and do chair dips and squats for the second.
Top of the hour alarm– If your schedule is just completely packed, make an appointment with yourself at the top of each hour by setting a timer. Spend 5 to 10 minutes doing jumping jacks, squats, or even jump rope. Get that heart rate up!
What are some ways that you fit exercise in when your schedule is just crazy?