Get movin’

Hooray for Friday friends!  It’s my off-Friday and I have tons of odds and ends to fill up my day, including a much needed manicure in preps for my maternity photo shoot tomorrow (Squeal!). 

We have a fun weekend in store with dinner at Zach’s boss’s tonight and a Halloween party to attend tomorrow.  Do I have a costume yet? Nope, sure don’t.  I’ll be figuring that out today as well.

Let’s move on to what this title is all about, mmmkay?

Usually in life I subscribe to quality over quantity, but when it comes to a good workout, I think the line is a bit more blurred.

I wish I was the type of person that could slap my alarm at 445a and hit the gym for an uber sweaty workout, but alas, I am not and never have been.  My sleep is oh so very precious that I can’t deny that extra hour in favor of a workout.

That being said, my workouts take place in the late afternoon – at about 5p. 

Pre-pregnancy, this was perfect because I had a lot of energy to work off from the work day.  Now that tune has changed just a wee bit since I seem to be carrying about 19-20 additional pounds.  Oye

So now, my theory is just  Get Movin’

If you work a rather sedentary desk job like me, it’s all about how the little things add up.  Here are my tips:

• Drink a ton of water – why?  Well not only should you for the good digestion, hydration, but also so you have to PEE.  And that means getting your booty up to hit up the restroom.
• Tilt your seat forward : It helps with your posture and engaging your core muscles.  Or better yet, get a large bouncy ball to sit on.
• Stop emailing and go talk to someone instead.  Yep, I know it’s far easier to email than it is to talk face-to-face, but if you have a spare moment in your day, walk over to your coworker vs sitting on your behind.
• Do small leg lefts under your desk.  I’m a big fan of these – I’ll alternate each leg, picking it up about 5” off the floor, hold it for a second and release.  This engages both the core and leg muscles.
• Chair dips – Granted, you may look a little cuckoo doing this if you’re in a public area, but if you have an office or your cubemates are away, knock out a few sets of 15-20 dips and give the triceps a chance to burn
• Walk, don’t drive.  I’m not talking about to work, but rather in between buildings at work. If you work somewhere like me, it’s a huge campus and the inter0building meetings are awfully far away, but use that as an excuse to get walkin’ (and be green!)
• Get a dog!  Alright, that’s a bit more of an investment, but if you have a dog, that pooch need to be walked and in turn, you burn some extra cals.  It’s a win win!
• Embrace the 20-30 minute workout.  And you know what?  It doesn’t have to be a HIIT.  As long as you are movin’, your body is benefiting.  I swear!  I upped my pre-preg 4 day /wk workouts to 6 days / wk, but have dropped intensity and duration. 
• Make double duty of TV time.  It’s no secret I like to watch a lot of tv.  But I cannot just watch tv alone – I have to be blogging, reading, emailing, doing laundry, making dinner, etc at the same time.  I also use that time to do some workouts using the couch, ottoman stool, and coffee table as my equipment: like step ups, dips, leg raises, etc.    Totally mindless.  Totally easy.
• Sit ups while sitting in traffic?  Well maybe not sit ups, but you can engage your core for 10 seconds and release for 10 while you’re cursing at the ridiculous Cali traffic on 101.  And the added bonus is that all that clenching and breathing helps relieve stress.

And there you have it – simple, easy ways to get movin’ without having to break one heck of a sweat for the benefits.

Tell me your tips?

When it comes to workouts, do you balance quality and quantity, or are you more one or the other?

What are you going to be for Halloween?  Any ideas for me?

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