You can be really organised for the 28 Day Weight Loss Challenges. You can plan your weekly meals, do the shopping you need, pre-cook some of the recipes and write down in your diary when you’re going to exercise.
But sometimes even the best laid plans can go astray. If you are finding it hard to stick to your plans throughout the July Challenge, especially on those freezing cold mornings when you don’t want to get out of bed, then maybe relax a little bit and make things more simple.
It’s easy to write down in your diary the days and times you are planning to exercise but often life changes and your work commitments change, your children get sick and are home from school or kindy or you just have a really busy week where you can’t seem to make any time for yourself.
Well don’t stress about it, just try and make things more simple when it comes to fitting in exercise each day and aim for something like 20 minutes every day – whatever exercise it is.
By aiming to do a short amount every day will mean that you don’t have the excuse of “I am only exercising 4 days this week so I’ll skip today” as you may continue to skip every day and then miss out all together. A short goal of exercise is easy to achieve and if you want to do more then that’s fine. Just getting started is the aim.
Have a loose plan of what you’d like to include each day e.g. maybe you’ll do the Challenge exercises every day and then a day or two where you go for a walk, try some yoga stretches, go for a swim etc.
Ensure you include incidental exercise when you reflect upon whether you’ve achieved your daily exercise goal. By combining your daily incidental exercise with a couple of structured activities that work up a sweat like a walk with the pram, or a Challenge exercise routine, you’ll be able to reach your exercise goals easily.
Here are some ideas about how to include incidental exercise into your daily routine to make hitting your exercise goals a breeze:
- Try and hang washing out on the line a couple of times a week. Carrying a basket of wet clothes and all the reaching and stretching that comes with pegging everything out is a fantastic way to raise your heart rate.
- Planning a short trip down the road for a coffee or to post a letter? Strap your little one into the stroller or baby carrier. The extra weight you’ll push (or have strapped to your front), makes the walk more challenging.
- Vacuum the house… in heels. No, we haven’t lost our marbles. Digging out your stacked heel pumps from the back of the wardrobe and popping them on while hoovering activates the muscles in your legs, especially those in your thighs, and makes them work that bit harder. Your core will engage as well to keep you steady and upright. You’ll also give any neighbours a great laugh.
- Make the shopping trolley work for you. Locking your elbows into your sides and pushing a grocery laden trolley forward and backwards is a great way to target your triceps (the muscles that run along the bottom of your arms). This can be a tricky area to tone, due to its location, but 10 reps with the trolley is a step in the right direction.
- Finished your grocery shopping (and trolley reps)? Place half your bags on the floor and practice squatting to pick up the items, keeping your back straight and core muscles switched on. You’ll soon feel the burn in your bottom and thighs.
- Mixing up your daily Healthy Mummy Smoothie? Use the time to jog on the spot, perform some lunges or bust out some star jumps till you’ve finished blending.
In no time you’ll be reaching your exercise goals without even thinking about them. Being active often is a great way to continue your motivation for success when on the 28 Day Challenge.
