ENERGY BANDIT: When You Don’t Make Time for Fitness by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®, Inc.

You hear yourself saying, “I’m too busy” or “I don’t have enough time.” Everything else in your life seems to crowd out this essential energy activity.

ENERGY BOOSTER: Sneak in fitness. While reading an article in a magazine or newspaper, I stand up and do squats. It really tones my thighs and doesn’t take any time away from the activity I would have been doing anyway. Squeeze in little fitness opportunities through out the day today:

• When you arrive home from the grocery store, do a few bicep curls with each full plastic bag before you set it down.
• If you need to go to the restroom, don’t use the closest bathroom—use the one that requires you to walk a bit—preferably up the stairs.
• Balance on one foot the entire length of time (two minutes, hopefully) you’re brushing your teeth. Then stand on the other foot while you brush your hair. Great for core stabilization.
• Invest in a cordless headset. When I get a call, I can chat while walking around my house and doing lunges.
• Install a chin-up bar in a doorway in your home. Every time you pass by it, do as many chin-ups as you can (even if it’s none to start—you’ll get there).
• While talking on the phone, do knee-bends or squats until you hang up (this might force you to reduce the length of the call).
• Go to a sporting goods store and buy two inexpensive, lightweight dumbbells. Every time you feel stiff, take a break and do a quick set of ten overhead presses. The tension will fade away and your energy will return.

Most people complain about not having enough time because they are thinking about trying to find a “block of time” in which to exercise. You’ll rarely have a sixty-minute block magically appear on your calendar. How about ten minutes? Surely you can find ten minutes a few times a day to move around a bit. Do something! If you can’t find ten minutes, something is definitely wrong. You say you want to increase your energy? Put your time where your mouth is!

© 2008 Laura Stack.

About the Author: Laura Stack (www.TheProductivityPro.com) is a personal productivity expert, author, and professional speaker who helps busy workers Leave the Office Earlier® with Maximum Results in Minimum Time™. She is the president of The Productivity Pro®, Inc., a time management training firm specializing in productivity improvement in high-stress organizations. Since 1992, Laura has presented keynotes and seminars on improving output, lowering stress, and saving time in today’s workplaces. She is the bestselling author of three works published by Broadway Books: The Exhaustion Cure (2008), Find More Time (2006) and Leave the Office Earlier (2004). Laura is a spokesperson for Microsoft, 3M, and Day-Timers®, Inc and has been featured on the CBS Early Show, CNN, and the New York Times. Her clients include Cisco Systems, Sunoco, KPMG, Nationwide, and 3M. To have Laura speak at your next event, call 303-471-7401. Visit Laura online to sign up for her free monthly productivity newsletter.