All it takes to increase your health is 30 minutes a day, every day. 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day that increases your heart rate will improve the quality of your life, reduce the risk of developing coronary heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and a plethora of other health issues and diseases. On top of the physical health benefits, 30 minutes of exercise will also make you mentally feel better and combat depression and stress.
Getting any type of exercise when you’re driving all day can be difficult, but you can break up your 30 minutes a day of exercise into three 10 minute sessions. The president of Global Transport, Victor Kaiser, likes to get his exercise in by taking short, brisk walks a few times a day. There are also a ton of free apps for smart phone users. We like Fitness Blender, but feel free to explore the app store yourself. Another idea is buying a yoga mat (you can buy a nice 1/2 inch thick mat from amazon.com for about $20) and doing three different sets of exercises at least three times a day. Some examples are:
- jumping jacks 3 sets of 30
- holding a plank for one minute (or as long as you can until you work up to one minute) 3 times
- in and out squats 3 sets of 20
- lunges 3 sets of 20 (10 for each leg)
- ski jumps 3 sets of 30 (15 for each leg)
- push-ups 3 sets of 30
- burpees 3 sets of 20
- jump rope (if you don’t have a jump rope, that’s okay. Just pretend.) 3 sets of 1 minute
- high knees 3 sets of 1 minute
Just pick three of the above exercises and practice them for 10 minutes, 3 times a day. Or if you’ve got the time, go for the full 30 minutes at once! You can improve your life; anywhere, at any time.