Give Me Five

I woke up early this morning, couldn't get back to sleep, and now have a little time to waste-- er, spare. ;o) So how about a meme?

This week's Give Me Five theme is "Give me five ways to fit exercise into your life."

The gist seems to be particularly "little things" or even "tricks" that we can do-- so "park further out in the parking lot and walk" or "take the stairs" vs. "run five miles a day". Because let's be honest. That last one's just not going to happen. (I hate running long distances. Sprinting, ok, but I'm not really a marathon-running type girl.)

1. If you have pets, young kids, or pets/kids you can "borrow" for half an hour or so, take them out in the yard-- or to the nearest park-- and play with them. Maybe their energy will inspire you to keep moving just a little bit longer.
   
2. If you sit at a desk all day, try putting something you need on a fairly regular basis (wastebasket, telephone, filing cabinet, etc.) further away from you so that you have to get up and move a little when you need it. (Of course, the boss might not like this idea if it keeps you from answering the phone promptly. (g))
3. If you enjoy watching TV, try doing some exercise during your favorite program(s) every week. Run on a treadmill, jog in place, lift small weights, etc.
   
4. Here's another one for us TV addicts. ;o) Make it a "rule" that whenever a commercial comes on, you have to do some little exercise or series of exercises. Maybe decide that you "have" to get up and clean the room until the commercials end.
   
5. Grow a lawn-- or a flower garden-- or a vegetable garden. Keeping it mown, weeded, and otherwise maintained provides weekly exercise-- especially if you're more diligent than I am. (g) Of course, if time is already an issue, this may not be such a great idea. In that case, and alternative #5 might be putting on some music with a good beat and "speed-cleaning" when you do daily chores. Can you beat your previous record of sweeping the floor in 3 minutes flat? ;o)
   

Unfortunately, I have a feeling that these little things may not be quite enough of a cardiac workout to take the place of the regular aerobic exercise we're all supposed to be doing. (Well, unless you run with the dog or kids. . . or if you work up a good sweat biking or jogging in front of the TV set. ) However, even little things like adding a few extra steps between the computer and the telephone add up and help.

Well, it's time to go get the day started! :o)