Even if You’re Poor, You Have No Excuse Not to Exercise Every Day
Regular physical exercise can help prevent you from getting ill
Humans evolved to be physically active.
These days, many of us have sedentary jobs and hobbies. Writing, watching videos, eating, drinking, socialising. These often happen while sitting in chairs. So, we need to make sure we take time every day to get up and move about.
Why is exercise so important?
Look at this chart of annual causes of death:
Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are high up that list. The WHO says that physical activity is important for preventing these conditions.
So, unless you have an illness or disability that prevents you from exercising, you need to do it. So make it a regular part of your routine, just like eating, showering and brushing your teeth.
Haven’t got the time?
Too busy to exercise? I encourage you to rethink your schedule. It’s all about priorities. Want to make your health a priority? Regular exercise needs to become a permanent part of your timetable.
I find that early morning is the best time to do a workout. Thirty minutes of intense exercise before breakfast is ideal.
Don’t have time in your morning? Get up thirty minutes earlier. Need that sleep? Go to bed thirty minutes earlier.
What else are you doing with your time? Can you watch a bit less TV and spend a bit less time scrolling through social media?
Can’t afford a gym membership?
I’ve never been a member of a gym in my life. And you don’t need it. Exercising doesn’t have to mean bodybuilding or becoming a top athlete. It just means moving about to get your pulse up, get you sweating, and challenge all your muscles a bit.
You don’t need to go anywhere or use any special equipment. You can do it all at home.
I have six free home workout apps on my Android phone. Two are by Leap Fitness Group, and four are by Fitify. The Fitify apps enable you to set the workout length to anything from 1 minute to 60 minutes.
All these apps are free, and I have no affiliation with any of them whatsoever.
Home Workout by Leap Fitness Group
This is a great all-round workout app that covers all the main body areas. There are specific workouts for:
- Abs
- Chest
- Arms
- Legs
- Shoulder & Back
You can choose between Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced levels. If you’re new to these types of exercises, it’s good to start at Beginner and work your way up when you’re ready.
Stretching Exercise by Leap Fitness Group
This is a good addition to the above app. It contains a series of specific stretching workouts which only take a few minutes to do. Great to do during short breaks during the working day.
The workouts include:
- Morning Warm-Up (4 minutes)
- Sleepy Time Stretching (6 minutes)
- Pre-run Warm-Up (3 minutes)
- Post-run Cool Down (5 minutes)
- Neck & Shoulder Stretching (8 minutes)
- Lower Back Pain Relief (7 minutes)
- Full-Body Stretching (5 minutes)
- Lower Body Stretching (7 or 15-minute versions)
- Upper Body Stretching (6 minutes)
- Back Stretching (7 or 12-minute versions)
Abs & Core by Fitify
The great thing about the Fitify apps is that you can specify the exact duration of the workout. This means you can fit a quick workout in a short break during your day.
But the time doesn’t include the short breaks between each move. You will need to allow for half the amount of time on top of what you specify. So, for example, if you have 15 minutes to spare for your workout, set the duration to 10 minutes.
This app contains three types of workout:
- Insane Six Pack
- Complex Core
- Strong Back
Upper Body by Fitify
This has six different workouts:
- Complex Upper Body
- Arm Blaster
- Monster Chest
- Shoulders & Upper Back
- Stretch & Relief
- Push-Ups Only
Stretching by Fitify
This has four different stretching workouts:
- Full-Body Stretching
- Upper Body Stretching
- Lower Body Stretching
- Back Stretching
Cardio by Fitify
If it’s too wet outside to go out for a walk, run or cycle ride, this app comes in very handy. There are four cardio workouts:
- HIIT (High-intensity Interval Training)
- Light Cardio
- Plyometrics
- Joint Friendly
Twenty minutes of the HIIT and you will be puffed-out and sweating for sure!
What are you waiting for?
In the time it takes for you to read a shortform story on Medium, you could install one of these apps. And instead of reading and responding to a 5-minute story, you could do a 5-minute workout.
See how simple that is?
All you need to do is do it, and do it every day.
Make something a routine and make time for it. Then you don’t have to think about it. You just do it. When something is an essential routine, it’s not optional.
Feeling tired one day? No problem. Do the stretching exercises instead of the press-ups or jumping around.
Do it. You’ll feel better.
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