We live in a very busy world where lots of us are parents, working full time, or studying. You may even be studying online, such as an online health communication masters degree, while working or raising a family. This probably doesn’t leave a lot of time for exercise. However, this doesn’t mean you must lose fitness, or gain weight. You can get a great workout in a short amount of time. The key is making sure you make this time count. These are the best exercises you can do to get a full-body workout and improve your general fitness.
Swimming
Swimming is a brilliant exercise. The water takes a lot of pressure off your joints, so it’s a great exercise to try if you struggle with injuries or are very unfit. It works your whole body, and is great for your core muscles. Try to alternate your stroke for a better workout. Setting yourself time or distance challenges is a great way to keep it exciting.
Walking
Walking isn’t something we think of as exercise. But it is. More so than you think. Try to walk 10,000 steps a day, and include hills and steps when you can. Even simple things like parking further away from the office, getting off the bus a few stops early, and taking the stairs instead of the lift will make a huge difference.
Running
Running, like swimming, works your whole body. It’s also a great way to build stamina. Keeping the correct running form will help build core strength, and you’ll be amazed at how much your arms hurt afterwards. If you haven’t run before, or not for a while, try a couch to 5k program to get started. Try to keep increasing your speeds and distances, or adding varied terrain, so your body doesn’t get used to the workout as you get better at it.
Pilates
Pilates is a brilliant option as all you need is a yoga mat. It uses your own body weight as resistance to help strengthen your muscles. Pilates might not get you out of breath, but it’s a fantastic strength exercise, that will also help your posture.
Interval Training
If you haven’t got much time, maybe because you are studying a masters in health communication, interval training makes a fantastic workout and really helps with strength, stamina and weight loss. Try a few short circuits of exercises such as squats, push ups and planks at home. Or run intervals, jog, or even walk for a few minutes, before sprinting for 60 seconds, then repeat, building the length of the sprint each interval. Training like this is proven to burn more calories, and is easy to fit into your busy schedule.
The key really, is to keep moving. If you are studying a health communication degree, or anything else, you’ll spend large amounts of time sat in front of a computer. You may have a job that means you sit down all day. Get up. Once an hour, stop, and go for a walk. Even just to the other side of the office. Do some stretches if you can. Keep as active as possible when you haven’t got time to exercise, and make the workouts count when you have.
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