Too lazy to work out? Join the club. I get it. You’re tired, you need to unwind, all you want to do is lie in your bed and let your brain go numb as you zone out to trash TV. SNAP OUT OF IT! Sure, we all need a break sometimes, but the fact is that moving your butt and getting your blood pumping fresh oxygen to your brain will not only burn some calories, but also revitalize, refresh, boost your ego, and uplift your spirits. Yes, it’s been proven. And here’s the best part of it all: you don’t have to buy an expensive membership to an energy-sapping gym, have a gas-guzzling truck deliver a gigantic piece of cardio equipment that will likely end up in a landfill anyway in a few years, or even spend a dime and you can still reap all the benefits (if not more).
So instead of letting your lazy attitude affect your body, or worse- your health (which could then require medical attention, pill popping, and money), do something…yes right NOW- seriously, don’t just sit there reading like a lump on a log. Start doing butt squeezes while you’re reading this at least! Because you CAN be both fit and lazy. You just have to find the right workouts and food tips that work for you.
Keep reading to learn 9 Fit Tricks for Lazy Chicks!
Contents
- Quickie Workouts in Bed
- Daily 100s
- Butt Squeezes, Floor Presses, Heel Raises, Stomach Crunchers
- Walk on the Phone
- Don't Run, Unless It's a 1-Song Run
- Workout During Commercials With My Favorite Circuit
- Post-Its in the Pantry
- It's Not What You Eat, But Why
- Eat A Grapefruit Everyday
1. Quickie Workouts in Bed
Yes, you can get a real, calorie-burning, muscle-toning, fat-trimming workout without ever stepping foot off your bed. Working out on your bed is even better than many exercises that you might do on a mat because you have the instability of a bed, which forces your stabilizing muscles to fire, therefore burning more calories, and burning fat faster.
2. Daily 100s
Daily 100s are 100 reps or 100 seconds of an exercise that you can easily slip into your day if you have just 2 spare minutes. Instead of snacking, get up and do 100 Jumping Jacks, Marches in Place, or Crunches, 100 seconds in Plank, or Boat… you get the picture. It keeps you in a Fit mindset all day, which will help you make other fit decisions- like choosing not to snack when you’re not hungry (which is pretty much a weight gain guarantee and my personal weakness).
3. Butt Squeezes, Floor Presses, Heel Raises, Stomach Crunchers
Discreet do-anywhere exercises that you can pretty much do anywhere without anyone knowing that you’re working out and without any equipment, expense, or even time. Do butt squeezes in a movie theater, stomach crunchers in the car (big fast exhale and squeeze your abs…repeat), heel raises in an elevator or waiting in line, and floor presses when sitting in a meeting (as if you’re trying to push the ground away from you).
4. Walk on the Phone
Need to talk on the phone? Then walk! It’s the Walk and Talk. In other words, if you get a phone call and you know it’s going to be a conversation lasting more than 5 minutes, do one of two things: -Start marching in place -Put a leash on your pup and take to the streets for a stroll
If you’re not quite ready to walk, ask the caller to ring you back in 5 minutes and make sure you’re out the door and on a walk by the time the phone rings. Sure, it makes it so you’re a little breathy whenever you’re on the phone, but you’re burning a few extra calories and slipping in a quick blip of exercise that you normally wouldn’t have thought you could fit in.
5. Don't Run, Unless It's a 1-Song Run
Numbers stress me out. Similar to my aversion to tracking my size by the scale, I track the minutes that I run by songs. You see, I have never been a runner. In fact I have always hated, yes, hated running. I felt like I couldn’t breathe as every second seemed to take a minute. It was painful. But oddly, not so much physically painful as it was emotionally painful.
If you, like me, are stressed by the idea of running 10 minutes, don’t! Run 1 song. As that song is coming to an end, see how you feel and decide if you can run for 2 more, setting a 3 song goal. At the end of song 2, gauge how you feel. Maybe you are up for 5 songs? The key is to create a workout mix filled with music that makes you move, plus make sure that there isn’t a lengthy break between each song. Anything that can distract you from the music can derail your cause. Today just might be the day that you are finally able to embrace running… and like it!
6. Workout During Commercials With My Favorite Circuit
About a year ago I was staying with my mom in a hotel. I was in the bathroom brushing my teeth, she was in the bedroom watching TV. As I often do as I’m brushing my teeth, I was marching in place. I marched out of the bathroom, toothbrush still in my mouth, and there was my mom, marching in place too. We both started cracking up. Apparently that’s where I learned to do such a nutty thing. Anyway, while watching TV I have a circuit that I try to do at least once a day: Marching in place for 1 commercial, Jumping Jacks for the next, Seated Dips for the next, Plank for the next. I repeat it at least twice during commercial breaks. It’s a great way to burn a few extra calories and make those commercials pass by just a little bit faster.
7. Post-Its in the Pantry
Find yourself opening the refrigerator door and eyeballing everything (as if you don’t already know what it’s stocked with), perusing the pantry, and riffling through the freezer, even when you’re still full from dinner? I do. Waaaaaay too often. I am great at late-night self-convincing that enjoying a few (or a heaping handful) of M&Ms is "okay" and that, no, I won’t regret it in the morning… Instead, I place Post-It notes with little reminders that I shouldn’t eat that cookie, alternatives to eating that cookie, and, worst case- the result of eating that cookie: weight gain.
8. It's Not What You Eat, But Why
It’s less about what you eat, and more about why you ate it. Keep a food journal. No, it isn’t just some lame way to record your daily intake. It’s also a place to track your feelings toward food: Did I eat that because I was upset that I saw my ex with his new girlfriend, so I ate an entire pizza. But after I ate that pizza I felt even worse about myself? Writing down your depression/anxiety/celebration/whatever- induced food foibles and feats forces you to fess up to yourself, facing the facts of your food issues, and illuminating what drove you to inhale a dozen chocolate chip cookie last night, when the night before you felt fulfilled after just one. Food & Mood Journal Components: a. So… What happened?- (ran into my ex with his new fling at a bar) b. Your post-incident response- (balled my eyes out over a box of ready bake cookies- before even baking them!) c. Post-response response- (felt fat and out of control…balled my eyes out again) d. Rewrite a better "b" for next "a"- (went for a run to make my butt look better than that chick’s)
9. Eat A Grapefruit Everyday
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly what works and what doesn’t, but studies do show that people who consumed either half a grapefruit three times a day, before every meal lost an average of 3.6 pounds after 3 months. Another study showed that upping your Vit C (like in grapefruit) can help you burn 30% more fat while working out. AND citrus is a known fat-fighter, minimizing fats’ effectiveness and actually liquefying the sticky stuff, making it less likely to latch on and bulk you up.
Come on lazy chicks, it’s time to get fit!
