How many times have you heard the recommendation that adults get 150 minutes of moderate exercise a week and felt that little twinge of guilt for not getting enough? I get it. You’re busy. We all are. And it can be so hard to justify going to the gym when we have so many other things to take care of. Don’t let that stop you from being active, though; here are some ideas to squeeze in exercise during breaks and downtime.

If you have no time:

• Take the stairs
• Use a hand basket instead of a rolling cart at the store
• Park further away so you have to walk farther and faster to work or class
• Do some squats or push-ups while you wait for things to cook at home

If you have 1 minute:

• Do a 25-second plank, rest for 5 seconds, then repeat.
• Do squats for 30 seconds, then push-ups for 30 seconds

If you have 5 minutes:

• Do 5 squats, 5 push-ups, and 5 crunches in succession, and repeat twice
• Do a sun salute

If you have ten or twenty minutes:

• Take a brisk walk (preferably outside)
• Do a series of sun salutes
• Do a pilates routine
• Try a HIIT workout

Finally, if you are truly too busy to work out, and you find yourself overwhelmed by stress or fatigue, you should consider scaling back on your responsibilities. Taking care of yourself needs to be a priority.

If you have any ideas on how to fit fitness into a busy day, leave us a comment!