Exercise is a word that many people fear, especially if it has not been made a part of their routine already. Whether overweight, in desire of muscle, or for any other reasons, exercise is as good for the body as it is for the soul. It’s been proven that working out is directly related to feeling better, from lowering cholesterol and risk of heart attacks to increasing physicality and self-confidence. In order to get fit, one has to know the right way to exercise, but it can’t hurt to have some exercise hacks along the way. Here are a few of those exercise hacks that you can incorporate into your everyday life.
The men and women who spent their lives cultivating crops had something right. The constant lifting and moving around with heavy tools provided them with the muscle needed to ensure a better lifestyle. At least once a day, take after them, and follow in their footsteps by lifting. By saying follow this exercise hack, it isn’t intended for you to go over to the gym and start a sweaty, water-desperate attempt at a workout. This lifting is something you can do without ever looking in the direction of a trainer. Pick up something heavy, such as an armful of textbooks, and spend 5 minutes strolling around the school courtyard or your dorm room without putting them down.
Small bursts of activity will increase your cardio, even if it’s only by the tiniest bit. Take into account your daily time frame and use it to your benefit by switching it around. Leave earlier than usual when you plan to go anywhere. Here’s your exercise hack: f you’re going into the city or a town, find a nearby car park or side street. Stop your car and park a few minutes away from work or classes, or in a different lot number, and spend the rest of the journey walking. It’s plain and simple. Even 150 steps will have a massive impact on your body and your mentality. Walking gets your blood pumping and your heart beating, and these are linked to more brain activity and better functioning, so when you do sit down for that test, you will feel better.
If you can sit, you should stand. Make an effort to change the rules of interaction with your friends by solidifying this golden rule in your life. This exercise hack is purely meant to get you off your butt and working a bit harder to burn a little more weight during the day. Rest less, don’t let yourself sit if you can avoid it. Part of exercising is to constantly be moving, and though you may dislike this exercise hack, it will be invaluable in the end. Constant sitting proves bad for your health, and the whole point is to avoid that issue as long as possible. Exercise hacks to the rescue!
This is a huge and well-known exercise hack, though it may be one exercise hack not as well-practiced as it should be. Working out during commercials is a wonderful way to ensure you get your 30 minutes in all day. Stop sitting on the couch during the advertisements. Even if you enjoy listening to them, it won’t hurt to ignore them and use this exercise hack to help your body toning. If you’d like, you could even amp it up to work during your program: every time someone does a certain action, you do a certain exercise!
A quick, but useful exercise hack for when you’re planning your workout; weights first, cardio second. Your muscles can handle a lot of work, but if your blood is already pumping and you’ve been getting your heart rate up, it can be unsafe. The shakiness and dizziness that comes with your cardio may return if you continue to work out afterwards, especially if it’s another couple reps after the fact. Not only is it stressful on the muscles, but it hurts the heart to have to keep pumping blood so intensely to keep up. This is more of a safety exercise hack than anything else, but nonetheless, it is a worthwhile exercise hack!
Whatever you do, do not focus solely on losing weight or building muscle. A valuable exercise hack to keep in mind is the idea that not everything is about the end goal. Yes, eventually you intend to get to that goal, but the journey there should be inspiring and satisfying every time you go to work out. Exercising should be an enjoyable experience as well as a happy result. In this case, the trip to the end should mean as much as the end itself.
Perhaps the most important exercise hack of all is to remember that you have to reward yourself. This journey is not a start and stop trip: it is a lifelong commitment to health and happiness. Rightfully, you should be praising yourself along the way. Give yourself little rewards every now and then, whether it be a day off or a bite-sized candy as a little bit of motivation. Things do not always have to be so strict. You have to bend the rules a little bit in order to find the inspiration to keep going. Maybe you won’t be able to enjoy the full candy bar, but if that’s the case, there’s nothing wrong with having a tiny bite when you do right.
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