Truth be told, I don't have an exercise routine. When I feel like working out, there are some very legit moves that I do, and I repeat them often, until my body is the way I desire it to be. But I will not be sharing those moves with you today. Most adults I know don't have time for gym memberships or strict, repetitive regimens. Who has time for that nonsense?
I do, however, have a different type of nonsense that you may have time for...here's a little secret of mine for getting into shape:
Move!
Sounds like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised at how many perfectly good opportunities to move we pass up every day. Just because you work, it does not mean you can't move in some form. Wiggle your fingers, tap your toes, start shaking your whole body in your seat while you read this. Do it! Don't tell me you don't have time. How many times do you stop and check email, or check your phone while at work, or go to the bathroom? All you gotta do is move a little prior to, or immediately after, doing those things.
Wiggling is so underrated, and so ideal for many situations. I'd say, "dance" but that often scares people, so I prefer the term wiggle. Call it what you will, but if you would just shake that body a little every time you check your phone or your email, you'd be moving a hell of a lot more than you do currently. If you are in line at a store, march in place or sway side to side.
At home and have a few seconds to spare? Roll your shoulders, clap your hands, do 3 jumping jacks (I didn't say 10... I didn't even say 5. I said 3. You can do it)
Hop to the laundry room, dance to the kitchen, skip to the garage. I don't care what you do, just freakin' move! Get into the habit of being mobile in some way, all the time. I'm not going to lie, you will look ridiculous. But it may make you laugh, and as we know, laughter burns calories. Laughter will also instantly put you in a good mood, so it's a fine trade off.
One of my more ridiculous moves is rolling. I have been known, on many occasions, to roll on my floor during commercials, and even sometimes during the show I'm watching. How do I roll exactly? I lay on the floor and just start rolling all over the place, like a little kid hyped up on pixie sticks. I roll all over the living room floor. There is no science to it. I don't roll to one end of the living room and back 10 times, change my position, then repeat. I just roll as ridiculously as possible, all over the place, for as long as I can. Sometimes I'll switch it up and just lie on my back and kick into the air, or pretend I'm being chased and pedal my feet like I'm riding a bicycle to get away. If it gets my adrenaline really going, I'll jump up and run in place, or dance, or...something. Anything.
Is this going to get you into great shape? Absolutely not.
What it will do, though, is get your body into the habit of moving. It will also increase circulation throughout your body, which will give you more energy and clarity of mind. With all this new energy and mind clarity, you may now have the motivation to start some legit exercise moves, eh? See, moving in frequent and very small ways does have benefits.
Start incorporating different types of movement into your daily activities. Forms of movement that are often overlooked:
wiggling
clapping
stomping
jumping
hopping
swaying
kicking
hitting/punching (Grab an old pillow...and just beat the shit out of it)
skipping
tip-toeing
rolling
crawling
bouncing
Oh, one more thing I must say...
If you are a mother (or father) and you have had to A. pick up your children's toys or B. give them a bath today, I give you props. How dare you do those things and claim that you did not work-out! Give credit where it is due. It is, quite literally, a pain in the ass (and back) to bend back and forth over a tub to wash your child. Same goes for bending over repeatedly picking up toys. Go on and pat yourself on that aching back.
You definitely deserve it.
