raising godzillas

A few fitness hacks for people with no time to be fit.

Chances are, you know someone who has said "I don't have time to get fit. I don't have time to cook my own food, go to the gym, or take up  running." This may even be something you, dear reader, have said.
Before you commit to that forever, please read this great blog post on Nerd Fitness.
Still not convinced, but feel it's time you do something ? Try these simple changes. I hope that if you try these for  a month or two, you'll decide feeling better is great and decide to take it to the next level.

Belly roll, not jellyroll 
I'm putting this one first, because it's great for people who don't feel they have time to exercise, AND for those of us who do eat well, work out, but still want to cry when we see the flabbiness of our bellies ( you know, those of us who've popped out a kid or more). The belly roll in fantastic because once you master it, you can do it anywhere, anytime, with no equipment, and while reading, working or showering. You won't actually lose weight, but you CAN improve the appearance of your tummy.



There. Now you have something to do while you read the rest of this.

TV Multi-tasking:


You don't have time to exercise, you say? f your life is so busy you never watch TV or play video games, I'll believe you. Otherwise, it's more honest to say, "I could exercise, if I gave up my TV show, but I just like  Survivor more. " OK. STILL not an excuse, and you know why? No one is forcing you to sit on the couch while you watch TV. Stand up and do some lunges and squats. If thousands of knitters can turn out sweaters in front of the latest episode of Fringe , you can work on your legs at the same time. Better yet, pick up some hand weights or kettlebells and REALLY work out to your favourite show. Start small - " I will do bicep curls until the opening credits are over"- then work up. If your favourite show is Dancing with the Stars, you've got the workout ready made! More of a gamers? Trade in 20 minutes of Skyrim for 20 minutes of Zumba.

Walk while you work


My friend S is the classic type A, dedicated business man who works something like a gajillion hours a week, yet he's in much better shape than most of his 50-something peers. The reason for this is he doesn't take phone calls sitting down. At the home office or office office, he takes advantage of Blutooth technology to pace while conducting business calls- and it shows. Anytime you can get out of that chair at work and walk, you'll burn calories- and perhaps save your life.

Can't cook? Choose better convenience foods.


I like cooking, but I admit there are days I wish the combination of finances and my myriad food issues didn't force me to cook EVERYTHING. The closest I get to convenience foods is pre washed, bagged veggies. If you want to eat better without cooking, you can do this. Stopping at the grocery store for convenience foods? Pick up a  few bags of salad mix, a rotisserie chicken, and some olive oil and balsamic vinegar ( almost all bottled dressings have rancid oils and a host of other Big Bads. If you're too lazy to mix your oil and vinegar, just pour a few tablespoons of each on. It'll be fine) . Much better for you than a freezer pizza, and no more work. Feel the drive through is your only option? Get a kid's meal instead of an adult combo ( if the toy in superhero themed, pass it on to me!) and get apple slices instead of fries. or, order a salad- and not one with breaded chicken.

Most importantly, DO NOT DRINK CALORIES


Yes, I'm shouting, because it's that important.When I started on my weight loss journey, I went for 6 months without drinking anything with significant calories ( black coffee naturally has 5 calories a serving, a good trade for me not killing people) . No soda, especially no diet soda, no juice, no mochas. Just water, black coffee, and unsweetened tea. 65 pounds later, I can enjoy a few espresso con pannas a week, with heavy whipping cream based mochas as a treat. However, I find all soda and juice to be so cloyingly sweet, I can't finish it. I think if the average American did nothing else, cutting out the calorie dense drinks would result in notable results.

I hope you find something useful here, If you do, let me know, and if you have any other ideas share those too!

posted by gojirama @ 2:36 PM