15 Easy Ways to Incorporate Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

Many people say that they simply don’t have the time to exercise. While this may be perfectly true in a fast paced world, there are certain things you can do to incorporate exercise into your daily life without allotting much time for it. By taking these 15 easy steps to incorporate exercise into your life, you will become happier, healthier, get better sleep, look better and feel better.

Exercising actually helps to normalize and even out any fluctuations in your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar levels are steady you won't feel that starving feeling as often. Exercise also activates your muscles, which means you begin to burn fat rather than carbohydrates. This reduction in the burning of carbohydrates maintains your blood sugar levels in a more balanced manner, too. We can all agree that burning present fat on your body instead of extraneous carbohydrates in your system would be a definite benefit of exercise.

When you raise your metabolic rate from exercise, the cells in your body will burn oxygen more efficiently. This will then help you to use the nutrients from your diet more effectively. It also helps your body to eliminate waste products and this means that you will be getting better nourishment from the foods that you eat. When you get better nourishment you won't require the same quantities of food to feel fulfilled.

Another added benefit of exercise is that you are increasing your body temperature and this will help to mobilize the fat in your body that can be used for energy rather than your body using the available food. Your resting basal metabolic rate will be higher after exercise for a considerable amount of time. This effectively helps you to burn more fat and improve the body fat percentage in your body.

There are so many reasons why you should be including some form of exercise into your lifestyle -- whether you are trying to lose weight or not. Even if you are reluctant to exercise you might think about it this way. It will most likely be easier to increase your activity level and incorporate exercise into your daily routine than to reduce the amount of food that you feel like eating every day.

If you simply can't find the time to exercise, below are some suggestions to help people with diabetes incorporate more exercise into everyday life.

15 Ways to Get More Active 

1. Exercise first thing in the morning. Get up 20-30 minutes earlier and get your workout in first thing during the day.

2. Start taking the furthest away parking spot and get in a few extra steps between your car and the shopping center.

3. Take a "walk break" whenever you can find the time during the day. Taking short 10 minute walks a few times a day will do wonders for your metabolism!

4. Play with your kids! This is great attention for the kids and great activity for everyone.

5. Clean your house. Cleaning can really break a sweat—you have to bend, reach, and put some muscle into making your home sparkle. Yard work, raking leaves, shoveling, and gardening also count.

6. Choose the stairs over the elevator.

7. Move during commercial breaks. If you watch a lot of TV, a good way to move a little more is to get off the couch during the commercials. You can do jumping jacks, sit-ups, and push-ups at each break.

8. Choose a restroom that is the furthest away if you have an option.

9. Try to choose an active activity right after work. A walk or even gardening or housework is better than just sitting on the couch.

10. Walk, jog, or stretch when you are waiting for dinner to cook, the laundry to finish up, or for your child to be finished with an activity.

11. It is perfectly acceptable to break up your intense workouts. You want to have at least 30 minutes of cardio every day -- but if you split that 30 minutes into three, ten minute sessions you will find this more manageable.

12. Turn your housework into exercise. When vacuuming try to use your arm, back and abdominal muscles to push the vacuum. When loading the dishwasher, maintain good posture as you are bending and straightening and keep your abs tight. Scrubbing floors, cleaning the bathtub, gardening, and mowing the lawn are great ways to burn some extra calories.

13. All in Stride.
Whenever you get up and walk, whether it be to your next class or to the photocopier machine, push yourself to and just a bit more distance to your stride. Not so much that it looks like a Monty Python sketch (see below) but enough to add an extra 10 cm to your stride. Not only will you find that you walk faster, but you'll also feel the burn in your larger leg muscles.

14. Ankle Weight.
A good set of ankle weights fits discretely under most pants. They're probably the most crucial item on this list. They allow for a lot of leg toning to be done during the day. While sitting at your desk, try lifting your legs off the ground. Hover them over the ground for as long as you can. It's those kind of long exercises with light weights that'll give you the lean tone for which you might be looking.

15. Sprint Has Sprung
Should you find yourself having to cover a relatively long distance, sprint it. Don't worry about how you look. People will just assume you're just late for a class or a meeting. A five minute sprint once a day will contribute more to your stamina than a 20 minute jog. Remember to use your best judgement when deciding on your sprint location. Sprinting in a parking lot, for example, might get result internal bleeding when a teen driver hits you when he zips around the corner in the Mazda 3 mommy and daddy just bought him.