Dana VanDen Heuvel: Squeezing exercise into even the busiest schedule

January 18, 2004

Squeezing exercise into even the busiest schedule

Herman Miller's Juggelzine newsletter recently featured an article by Sally Abrahms on fitting a regular excercise routine into the way-too-busy schedules that most of us keep.

A Tight Fit: Squeezing exercise into even the busiest schedule, gives some unconventional ideas for keeping fit between travel, kids, elevator rides, and long hours at the office. Some of the basic guidelines are as follows:

Experiment with abdominals. Do crunches on the floor, if possible.

Stretch your back.

Master push-ups. Your first choice should be the floor, but if you're not strong enough, use a desk or counter.

Learn to love squats. Do them with weights, exercise bands, or your own body weight.

Exercise at the same time that you're doing something else productive, e.g., walking and talking business on a cell phone, listening to work-related material on CD or tape while walking, running, or doing other exercise.

Take active breaks often. Run up and down stairs if you can't get out. Don't sit if you can stand. Don't stand if you can pace.