Lets face it, we all live in a time poor world these days. For the vast majority of us, the classic 9-5 work day is long gone, businesses now open earlier and close later and, with access to email and computers 24/7, the work day is getting even longer. We then have our lives to fit in as well, whether it be co-ordinating kids after school activities, balancing babies sleeping routines, cooking meals, studying for exams or even trying to have some sort of social life, it is easy to see how we sometimes find it easy to “not have time to exercise”.  This doesn’t have to be the case! Although exercise is often overlooked or moved aside for lack of time, it is a fundamental and vital part of our life and maintaining good health, and we all know that without our health we don’t have much of a life!

The good news is that we can still fit a few simple exercises into our daily routines without having to drastically change our schedules, or even change clothes or get sweaty! Below are some simple exercise hacks that you can use to increase your overall physical activity, increase your balance and strength.

Hack 1: Perform a Sit-Stand exercise when getting out of chairs

Most of us “pull” ourselves out of chairs/couches by resting our hands on our knees, bending forward, getting our weight onto our feet then “pulling” your back up straight. This is quite inefficient and puts a lot of strain through your low back and knees. It is why many people struggle to get out of couches or chairs “like they normally do” when they have back pain. A simple alternative is to perform the Sit-Stand exercise which is really the Up phase of a squat. This exercise is great to help strengthen your legs and glutes (buttock) whilst minimising the strain you place on your lower back and knees. This is an easy way to introduce at least 10-15 squats into your day without even trying.

How to: Standing from Sitting

Sit on the front of a chair/table/bench, feet shoulder-width apart and your knees over your feet, keep your back in neutral and head facing ahead. Bring your arms out in front of you for balance, then push through your heels and stand up by straightening your knees and hips without moving your back or feet. As you approach the top of this movement, clench your buttock muscles. Hold at the top of this movement for a moment

Next time you are brushing your teeth turn it into a balance exercise. Simply stand on 1 leg for 30 seconds, then alternate legs (Ensure you are standing close enough to a bench so you can use a hand to reach out and steady yourself if needed). Your can increase the challenge by closing your eyes for the 30 seconds. A further challenge is to using your opposite hand to brush your teeth which is great for overall body co-ordination and positive impacts on your brain function.  Balancing is a great way to help reduce the risk of injury by helping to improve your co-ordination and core strength.