10 Easy Ways To Add Exercise To Your Busy Day

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1. Do push-ups when you first wake up. Take 10-20 seconds to jump start your morning and your metabolism!

2. Hold a squat position while you brush your teeth. Or do a set of squats.

3. Stand on one leg to put on your socks and shoes by holding a squat position and crossing one leg over the other knee (be sure your back is straight).

4. Do straight leg raises while doing hair, makeup or other grooming activities. Stand on one leg and kick the other leg forward, sideways or backwards, keeping the knee straight.

5. Squat several times while making the bed. It will strengthen your legs and help with your body mechanics.

6. Do knee extensions (kicks) while eating breakfast. Sit toward the back of your chair, with your thighs fully supported. Then extend one knee 10-15 times and repeat with the other leg.

7. Do back arches while driving to work. Change from slump sitting to overarching your back. Then relax back down to a neutral posture (back straight) and arch again. Repeat 15-30 times.

8. Roll your shoulders backwards while sitting at your desk. Repeat 20 times.

9. Raise up onto your toes (calf raises) while washing your hands. For a challenge, do this on one leg at a time.

10. Take a few minutes to do jumping jacks or mountain climbers while watching TV.


Exercise does not do itself. If you don't make extra effort to exercise, it will simply disappear from your lifestyle. Whether you need to lose weight or not, exercise is critical for the health of your entire body. Ideally, it is recommended that adults exercise >30 minutes/day, 5-7x/week (or more for weight loss). But honestly, some individuals are too busy to do 30 straight minutes of exercise. If that person is you, the only way to exercise will be a few minutes at a time. Please add in comments if you have additional exercises to share.

15-Minute Home Workout For Busy Parents

As much as you may love (or hate) to exercise, it is often difficult getting to the gym when you have children. Between school, ball games, meals, work and housecleaning, you may not have the extra 30-60 minutes to do a usual cardio and strength exercise routine. So here are a few exercises you can do at home with no equipment and only 10-20 minutes of time.

1. Push-ups. This is a great one to start with, as it pumps up your heart rate! Repeat until fatigue. This is also ideal between leg strengthening exercises.

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2. Triceps Presses. The further you straighten your legs, the more challenging! Extend your elbows to lift your body weight, then lower back down to position shown in picture. Repeat until fatigue.

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3. Jumping Jacks. This is also a good warm-up or can be done between strength exercises. Perform for 1-2 minutes.

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4. Plank Jumping Jacks. Be sure to keep your back straight and your arms/shoulders stable. Hands can be on the floor, as in the starting push-up position. Repeat quickly until fatigue (30-60 seconds at a time).

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5. Plank Mountain Climbers. Alternate legs quickly, while maintaining a strong plank position, for 30-60 seconds at a time.

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6. Forward Kicks with Alternate Forward Punches. Do you remember Tae Bo? This is a classic kickboxing exercise that incorporates arm and leg strengthening. Repeat 10-15 reps with right leg/left arm. Then do the same with left leg/right arm.

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7. Calf Raises (on one leg) with Lateral Leg Raises (other leg). Do the two at the same time. You may need arm support for balance. Repeat 10-20 reps, then do the same on the other sides.

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