Fitness for the Working Woman

It's Time to Ditch the Excuses

You’re the boss at work. You’re definitely the boss at home. Now it’s time to make sure that you’re the boss of your body as well. Excuses are easy to make, but like you have learnt in life, you don’t bring about change by making excuses.

So let us help you today by giving you a few tips on how to ensure that your engine keeps running at peak performance throughout the day.

Invest in a fitness tracker

Chances are that your cell phone has one already which will count your steps, make an estimate of calories burnt throughout the day and keep you informed about optimum levels of active time. But unless your phone is on you throughout the day the results will be sketchy at best. So if you really want to be on top of your game, we recommend getting a wearable fitness tracker. Choose your brand according to your needs. The Fitbit range is easily available in Pakistan and will serve the purpose. You can set goals by steps, calories, or distance and your tracker will ensure that you’re motivated enough to run up the stairs even as your lazy friends push the elevator button.

Keep a resistance band handy

Get your adrenaline running first thing in the morning by using a resistance band that will take simple exercises to the next level. Start your day with 10 minutes of resistance band exercises and those friendly endorphins will do the heavy lifting for you throughout the day to ensure that you are at the top of your game. No time in the morning? Not to worry. Stuff the band in your bag and deploy it at any time of the day when you get 10 minutes.

The helpful chart below (click to enlarge) lists just some of the exercises you can perform with a resistance band. So head to your nearest sports shop ASAP and get your hands on this.

Say yes to healthy snacks

Certain brands try to convince you that you should reach for their carby, saturated fat filled, sugar-laden snacks when you get hungry in-between meals. We say don’t take the bait! Make sure you are prepared with a healthy, and more importantly, handy, snack to keep your belly full and your conscience guilt free. Here are two great options:

• Keep a protein bar in your bag. They cost less than a cappuccino and have just the right amount of protein, good carbs & fats, and calories for a quick and healthy snack. We recommend the Luna Protein Bars that you can conveniently get delivered to your home through the fantastic FitHai.Pk, and while you’re there you can splurge on other health items from the convenience of your home.

• Make small bags of dried fruit. We recommend a handful of almonds and walnuts per bag that will keep you full and deliver a punch of good fats to maintain optimum energy levels. Not to mention the street cred that comes from that hot bod that’s in shape all year round. Have a sweet tooth? No problem. Throw in a few raisins and you’ve got both taste and energy in a bag!

Use technology

Yes your phone is an addiction and those constant notifications from WhatsApp, Facebook, and Instagram are keeping you distracted. But it’s high time that you get that bad boy to do something helpful for a change. Download these two apps and we can bet our bottom dollar that half your fitness woes will be out of the window:

• My Fitness Pal: This is a free app for Android and iOS and helps you keep track of calories (and yes it distinguishes between good and bad calories so you can’t have only 2 double whoppers in a day and go to sleep knowing you’ve achieved your calorie target). The best thing about this app is that users from across the world have uploaded cuisines so if you’re having Bhindi Gosht and think that there is no way a cell phone app can help you with that, you’re wrong. My Fitness Pal will tell you exactly what you’re consuming. Don’t believe us? Here’s a screenshot for proof:

• Sleep Cycle: Do you remember learning about REM and Non-REM sleep in class? No? Not to worry. Gist of the story is that it’s great to wake up while you’re in a light cycle of sleep, and not so great when you’re in a deep cycle. Traditional alarms wake you up at the time you commanded giving no thought or care to which cycle of sleep you are in. The Sleep Cycle app is not so cold-hearted. It monitors the movement of your body throughout the night and makes intelligent assessments about your sleep cycle. It will wake you up within a 30 minute window when you are in the lightest possible cycle of sleep. This ensures that even with insufficient Zzzz’s you will wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world.

So here you are. We are confident that with a combination of easy to do exercises, tracking your activity & sleep, and ensuring healthy snacking you will be kicking butt every day of the week!

* This story has been published on womensown.pk