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Have you ever had those days where you wake up feeling like you’ve just ran a marathon when you actually haven’t been to the gym in a few days? Us too. Whether you notice it or not, some little things in life can actually be considered exercise (in our opinion!). Thus, we present you:

“The Everyday Life Workout”.

 

The Sleepy Stretch

Any good workout starts with a warm up. In bed! Start with the glutes, then those hamstrings (ouch), on to the quads (double ouch!) and finally a few back twists to warm up the spine.

 

The Cardio Commute

Sprinting, ducking, and dodging are your go to fitness moves on the way into work and by the time you jump (plyometrics, anyone?) on the tube, you are out of breath and unfortunately, so is your hair.

Pro Tip: If you want to have a time trial, we suggest waking up 5 minutes past your alarm to test your speed!

 

The Stability Stance

Standing on the tube tests your stability and who knows, maybe your Apple Watch will stop buzzing to remind you that it’s “Time to stand!”

 

Grocery #Gainz

This part of the workout usually happens when you go in without a game plan (read: list). You pick up a hand basket and innocently think you’re going to pick up a few things for breaky the following morning. Before you know it, your bicep is on fire, and your obliques are working hard to counter the weight of your groceries. You check your items to make sure you grabbed eggs and bananas. This is probably what you see:

  • 2 cartons of almond milk
  • 5 avocados (because who buys just 1?)
  • Frozen fruit for smoothies (“Wait, do I even have a blender?”)
  • Butternut squash (surprisingly weighty!)
  • 3 different types of almond butters
  • And an organic roast chicken.
  • No eggs. No bananas. But you add them in for your last reps!

 

The Sidewalk Squat

Carrying the groceries home is where the challenge really starts. Who knew that carrying two bags full of groceries was so difficult? First, you try holding them by the top handles and you instantly picture the handles breaking and your groceries in the middle of the sidewalk. So you set down your groceries, readjust your purse and squat to pick them up. You manage to get in 15 squats before you get home because you need to give your arms a break every so often. Well done!

 

The Fifth Floor Flex

Whether you live on floor 1 or floor 5, you instantly regret choosing the flat you have. You get tunnel vision of those steps growing and you give your self a little pep talk, “C’mon, you got this. You can do anything for thirty seconds.” By the time you get to the top of the stairs, you’re completely spent. You may have even started on the stair master at the gym so you can glide up those steps with ease, really brings a whole new meaning to the saying “I’m training for life”.

 

Quinoa Calf Raises

Reaching for the quinoa on the top shelf wouldn’t normally be considered a workout, but think about it. You might have a similar dialogue running through your head as you start to reach:

 

“I (1 calf raise). Just (2). Can’t (3). Quite (4). Reach (5)!”

 

By the time you’ve reached five calf raises, you have pushed that box of quinoa all the way to the back of the shelf and it’s time to start climbing counter! A push up to get your self onto the counter. A big step up to get to standing. When you finally get the quinoa, it feels more like a gold medal with all of that effort you’ve put in and your kitchen counter is the podium!

 

 

Pilates Plaits

Learning how to French braid your own hair is your final exercise for the day. You decided you want beachy waves for tomorrow’s hair when you realize you have no idea how to French braid. You watch tutorial after tutorial and the only thing you manage to do is to burn out your triceps. But! Practice makes perfect so don’t give up!

 

In conclusion, there are so many different daily habits that can easily be turned into a mini workout… and they will certainly help keep your body ticking over until that next gym sesh!

 

Words by Nadia Liu

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