Since my youth fitness has been a part of my life. There were the times when I belonged to several gyms and fitness centers. Those days are pretty much gone (other than training at The House of Champions and the Tempest Freerunning Academy). Today, most of my training is via my bodyweight and outdoors. To me, getting fit can be done just about anywhere. I don’t look at fitness as needing some special equipment.
Ways to bring Fitness into your Life:
Once you have the mindset of what fitness really is, then it becomes simple as to finding ways to bring fitness into your life. I’m going to introduce to you some ways to do just that.
1. Go for a walk in your neighborhood.
This is probably the beginning of most fitness programs. Walking is fundamental for just about everybody except babies. You can join a walking group. I remember when the local indoor malls would have such groups.
2. Go for a hike.
Like walking, moving your body in nature via a hike is another fundamental movement activity. And the most important aspect of doing this is that you get to enter into nature.
3. Play with your kids, indoors or outdoors.
Have you ever tried to do that consistently? Children can wear you out if you were to keep up with them. The key here is that when you engage in play with them, you’re also showing that movement is important for you. They learn from what you do, not what you say.
4. Take 5 minutes every hour
Do a combination of non-stop squats and push-ups. I usually do 150 squats and 150 push-ups in this amount of time. Each of us has our level of fitness in the amount we can do. Important here is to do them.
5. Take the stairs and not the elevator or escalator.
Shun the people mover at airports too. We’re designed to move, not letting this type of technology move us.
6. Walk to your grocery store
If you live within a mile of the grocery store, walk there to shop. You can use a wheeled shopping cart/bag if you need to.
7. Park at the furthest parking space from the entrance.
This extra length will give you extra fitness time. I tend to park in the parking lot of one shopping center and walk to the stores in other nearby centers.
8. Play a pickup game of basketball at your local park.
If you’re sports-minded, then this may be just up your alley and it’s fun.
9. Go for a swim in a local city pool or if you’re close to the beach, go there.
Wherever you can find a pool, use it. Take lessons if you don’t know how to swim. I used to be a competitive swimmer and it’s natural for me to do. I also used to be a lifeguard and lifesaving/swim instructor.
10. Speaking of beaches, take a run in the sand.
The softness of the sand may be a challenge to your legs. It’s a great workout to run, jump and play in it.
11. Take your dog for a walk around your block or at the park.
You’ll both benefit from the walk and even a run.
12. Get out and garden.
Fresh veggies is a side benefit to the exercise you’ll get from hoeing and planting. Plus, you’ll get plenty of Vitamin D to boot. By the way, any of the above outdoor activities will do the same.
13. Crawl on the ground like an animal.
The basic exercise movements you probably did as a kid would be the crab walk, bear crawl and bunny hops. All will work your legs. The first two will work your whole body.
14. Use playground equipment as a gym.
Swings can be used to inverted rows or as support in doing pistol squats. Monkey bars can help build your upper body. There are endless possibilities here.
15. Do shadow boxing
Regular boxing drills, martial arts and other combat fitness activities. This is a part of my regular training. Since I’ve been doing the martial arts going back to when I was a toddler, this is a critical area of focus for me. I love it.
Any type of physical movement counts. You can go way beyond the 15 ways I have listed here. Heck, you might even want to give Parkour a go. Now, get your butt moving!
Cheers,
