The Lazy Girl’s Guide to Exercise!

This may be controversial to say, but I HATE EXERCISE. It’s true. I keep trying, you know, but nothing ever makes up for the sweat, tears and injury…and that’s just from personal trainers. For a while I went to the gym 5 days a week as part of a pact with Yina, but the moment we started living in different countries, I stopped.

But running on the treadmill like a hamster in a wheel isn’t the be all and end all to exercise (not that there’s anything wrong with that!). Nope, there are many more fun ways you can get your move on, and before you know it, you would have hit the daily recommended amount of activity, all without breaking a sweat.

Clean yo’ house!

Some people procrastinate by watching Netflix, I like to procrasti-clean while watching Netflix. It gets me moving, makes time fly, and leaves my home impressively clean! I always start with a small task that requires me to get off my butt, and whilst I’m up, I find it easy to continue cleaning. Can’t follow Netflix over the vacuum? Spotify is the next favourite with some hip grinding booty shaking tunes!

Be cold

Yes, being cold does burn slightly more calories than you would otherwise, but we’re not relying on the weather here. No. Here, I use the cold as motivation to keep me moving! When it’s a bit brisk out, I walk faster to get my heart pumping and the rest of me warm. Never has the old adage been so true – before you leave the house, take off one thing. =)

Have moving targets

Setting a 5km target for walking can be more than a little daunting, so I like to set moving targets, in the form of errands! It’s really as simple as walking from store to store, and taking the scenic route. I can cover over 10kms whilst running errands in the city, and I haven’t even broken a sweat!

Find a fun activity!

I can’t stand exercising for exercising’s sake, but I just LOVE learning new skills. Any kind of skill. It all started with Ice Skating – something I didn’t know how to do – and now rollerblading is my new obsession. The balancing act keeps my core activated and my gluts going, all as a byproduct of me having loads of fun! It doesn’t get much easier than that.

It’s all about the little hacks

The Japanese worked out that we should take at least 5,000 steps a day – 10,000 for weight loss – and I’ve found that making a series of small decisions really go a long way! Waiting for the lift at the mall? Why not take the stairs from floor to floor? In the city, I love walking instead of taking the bus – it not only helps me get my steps in, it also allows me to discover new attractions, and rediscover old favourites.

Do you have your favourite tips to keep moving? I’d love to hear more in the comments below!