I know a lot of people out there like me are struggling to fit in regular exercise into their lives. You start off strong at the start of the month/week with an exercise routine, only to find yourself slouched on a couch, and your trainers gathering dust. Then by the end of the month, you struggle carrying your groceries and puff like fish outside water after walking a flight of stairs.
If you’re like me, below are the things you can do to stay in shape without exercising.
1. Redefine ‘having fun’.
If what you do for fun is to eat out with friends or play on your computer, why not change it up by actually doing something active? Still fun, but just involves more movement. You’ll be a lot fitter doing something like exploring the woods, playing tennis, or even spending time at the park.
Since I redefined ‘fun’ into doing something active, I’ve been able to keep my fitness at a good level without doing exercise.
2. Take up an active hobby
One of the best decisions I’ve made is to take up rock climbing as a hobby. I used to exercise, but climbing is what really made me become my strongest. And because climbing, to me, is a hobby, I don’t see it as exercise - it‘s just something I do, and the fitness benefits it comes with is a bonus.
3. Track your movements
You can stay fit by incorporating enough movements in your days without actually working out. You'll just need to track your movements to make sure that you move enough during the day to meet your fitness goals, whether it is to maintain your fitness or get to a certain level.
You can either choose to accurately track your movements by using a fitness tracker, or if you’re like me and can’t justify the price of one for its purpose, simply quantify your activities another way. For example, do at least three activities a day - walk to work, take the stairs, throw the frisbee.
If I haven’t moved enough, you’d normally find me doing chores around the house — cleaning the windows, gardening, etc.
4. Don’t exercise. Train.
The reason you probably fall off your exercise routine is that you exercise to exercise. If you change your mindset and train towards a goal, you will likely feel more motivated. Train for a 5k run, or for a big hike. Whatever it is, set a goal and train for it.
At the moment, I am training to be able to climb grade 23’s. I don’t exercise to achieve this, I train for it by keeping up with my hobby and making sure I make progress each time I climb.
