Running a business takes time, and eventually it eats away at the time you have alotted for other personal activities. Exercise is often the first thing to drop to the bottom of every to-do list when consultants are short on time. Yet, it is one of the best ways to reduce stress and to keep yourself energized, focused and healthy. You don't have to spend hours at your health club every day to stay fit. Instead, you can sneak in these five quick tips for exercise without leaving your office.
Take the Stairs
When given the choice between riding an elevator or taking the stairs to your office, opt for the latter. It is an easy way to add a few minutes of exercise into your day. Climbing stairs not only burns calories, this cardiovascular activity also gets your heart pumping and helps circulation. Of course, if you work on the top floor of a building, taking the stairs all the way to the top may be unrealistic. Instead, take the frist few flight of stairs and then ride the elevator the rest of the way. If you happen to be working from home and don't have many stairs, spend 10 minutes going up and down the same flight of stairs.Throw around Your Weight(s)
Keep small hand weights by your desk and lift them while talking on the phone with clients or in-between handling your paperwork. Try lifting weights that are less than five pounds when sitting at your desk. Or, use 10 or 25 pound weights and take a 10-minute break to stand up and do simple lifting exercises. Try doing two or three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions for a quick, efficient toning workout. (Before doing any strenuous exercises, remember to consult your doctor if you have previous injuries or other health issues.)Walk it Off
Use your lunch hour or a mid-afternoon break to take a short, brisk walk. If weather permits, slide on your tennis shoes and take a stroll around the block or through a nearby office park. If you don't have time to stray far from your desk, do a dozen or more laps around your office or speed-walk a floor in your office building. Anything that gets you up and moving at a brisk pace for 10 minutes or more will help revitalize you for the rest of the day.Take it to the Mat
Keep a foldable exercise mat or blanket in your office to use as extra support for a few floor exercises. A routine of stomach crunches, push-ups and leg lifts is a simple way to burn off a carb-filled lunch and get you ready for the rest of the day. Pop in a DVD with the Latest Exercise Craze
Take an abbreviated lunch and use the last half of your normal lunch hour for a quick workout of Yoga, Pilates, or even a little Yoga Booty Ballet. All of these are available on instructor-led exercise DVDs. Pop in the DVD and get moving. You can typically do segments of 20 to 30 minutes, three to four times a week, which is just enough to let off stress, burn some calories and get started building a healthy, but quick, workout routine.
