Finding the Energy to Exercise

Are you finding it hard to find the energy to exercise? The good news is, it's not hard as you think.

Today’s face-paced lifestyle has been specifically designed to save us time and energy. In fact, if we didn’t have to go to work, there would be very little reason for us to leave the home. From doing our grocery shopping and banking online, to ordering in takeaway and speaking to our friends over the phone as we relax on the couch watching TV, life today is somewhat motionless. Sadly, too many of us think of movement as an inconvenience, when we should be thinking of it as an opportunity towards better health and happiness.

For most of us, when it comes to being active, our worst enemy is ourselves. Many of us are familiar with that voice inside our head telling us to chill out on the couch instead using up what little energy we have left on exercise. Ironically, if we just moved more we would have loads more energy, as exercise boosts endorphins and brightens up our mood. To get fit the easy way, follow my guide below.

Get motivated: Setting yourself clear fitness goals is one of the best motivational tricks you can use – goals give you a clear idea of where you want to end up. Make your goals specific and realistic, and write them down so you’re accountable and can track your progress. Reward yourself when you reach your goals. There will come times when simply starting your exercise session will be daunting. Crush those feelings by breaking down your session into to intervals. Take 10 minutes at a time and the momentum will carry you through to the end of your workout. Stay motivated by involving yourself in activities you enjoy.

Get it over and done with: Exercise first thing in the morning, so that life doesn’t get in the way of your exercise plans. You’ll be less likely to cancel if you get your exercise session over and done with. You'll also feel fabulous and and be more productive during the day.

Walk the kids to and from school: This is a great way to promote a healthy lifestyle to your children, as well as spending some quality time with them. If you can’t walk them to school, then try going for a family walk once a week or walking the dog together each night.

Partner up with a friend: Not only are friends great motivators for workouts, training with a friend has also been shown to double pain tolerance, meaning you’re more likely to workout harder.

Your iPod will get you through: Whether you’re listening to music or making your way through the latest e-book, an iPod can help make the time pass quicker.

Utilise your workday: Too many of us spend most of our day sitting in front of computers, commuting in traffic or sitting motionless in meetings. Why not be creative and identify ways to boost your activity levels. Do the office coffee run; talk to a colleague instead of emailing; sit on an exercise ball instead of a chair and go to the toilet on a different floor.

Always choose the active way: Throughout your day-to-day life, always choose the active way. For instance, regularly take the stairs over the lift and work to the printer each time your print something rather than waiting until the end of the day. Wearing comfy footwear instead of high heels will so mean you can walk more, as you won't have to jump in a cab to get 100 metres up the road because your feet are aching.

Keep up the exercise: The more you exercise, the more you’ll find it becomes a normal part of your lifestyle. Motivate yourself by creating new exercise and physical activity habits. Plan exercise into your week and if you can't exercise in the morning, take your workout gear to work with you and stop by the gym in your lunch hour or on the way home.

Is work making you fat?

When it comes to the obesity epidemic, poor eating habits and inadequate exercise are the lifestyle factors that receive most of the blame. However, new research suggests there might be a new kid on the block to blame for our expanding waistlines....and it's our jobs!

Over the last 50 years, there has been a shift away from occupations that require moderate intensity physical activity to occupations that are largely composed of sitting and sedentary behaviour. In fact, according to research published in the journal PLoS ONE our daily occupation-related energy expenditure has decreased by more than 420 kilojoules in both men and women. The US researchers also speculate that this reduction in occupational energy expenditure accounts for a large portion of the observed increase in mean weight in the US over the last five decades.

While this is the first detailed study to look at the impact work has on our waistlines, the results don't come as a surprise to me. Over the years, physical activity has been engineered out of our lives and few of us think about the effect this is having on our health. Sure we think about working out in the gym or going for a run, but few of us think about the incidental stuff like taking the stairs instead of the elevator even to go up a single level. Few of us get off a few bus stops early and walk the rest of the way to work, nor will we get up to talk to a colleague instead of emailing. All of these scenarios get us moving more at work, yet they're often thought of as inconveniences rather than opportunities.

While it's unlikely that the lost occupational-related energy expenditure can ever be completely restored to the workplace, we can increase the opportunities for movement. Employers can subsidize gym memberships or provide group personal training sessions for employees at lunch time. Employees can go outside each lunch break for a run or walk, or exercise before or after work everyday. Offices can be designed to encourage walking and promote face-to-face communication instead of emails.

Moving at work is a good thing, so make sure you include it as much as possible, without rewarding yourself with food or letting your emotions tempt you with large amounts of comfort food when stressed at work. However, it's important to remember that moving more at work is just one of the things you can do to keep your waistline down. Eating a healthy balanced diet, controlling stress levels and getting adequate sleep are also important, so make time for these also.