Easy Ways to Incorporate Exercise Into Busy Summer Routines
Physical activity is important for many reasons, from supporting a healthy weight and reducing the risk of chronic diseases to improving mood and mental health. Adults need about 30 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity daily to support optimal health and wellness, while children require an hour of exercise daily to build strong muscles and bones, support cognition, and increase physical fitness. Other benefits of physical activity for kids include improved academic performance, a reduced risk of depression, and enhanced cardiometabolic health.
Research, however, suggests that even small amounts of exercise can have positive health effects. According to a study published in the European Heart Journal, engaging in just 15 to 20 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly can extend your life and reduce your risk of all-cause mortality by 16 to 40 percent. 15 to 20 minutes of physical activity a week amounts to just two to three minutes of daily vigorous exercise!
What is vigorous physical activity?
Vigorous physical activity, or cardiovascular exercise, refers to any activity that increases your heart rate. Examples include jogging, jumping rope, or bicycling at speeds of at least 14 mph. Playing basketball, soccer, and tennis singles also counts as vigorous physical activity.
On the other hand, moderate-intensity physical activity refers to things like brisk walking, light bicycling, and lawn mowing. Incorporating a mix of moderate to vigorous cardiovascular exercises into each day is best, in addition to bone and muscle-strengthening activities like push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and planks.
Busy summer routines, however, can make it difficult to set aside time for physical activity — especially when it’s hot outside and breaking a sweat at the gym is the last thing you feel like doing. Between summer cookouts, sporting events, beach days, and back-to-school shopping, there isn’t a whole lot of time left over for fitness classes and gym sessions.
Let’s look at a few easy exercise ideas for summer so you and your kids can get the recommended 30 to 60 minutes of physical activity daily — all without feeling like you’re adding to your already jam-packed schedule.
How to fit exercise into your busy summer routine
Cardiovascular exercise doesn’t have to feel like a chore or scheduled activity. You can even get your heart pumping and improve your cardiovascular health without feeling like you’re working out at all; the key is to sneak exercise into everyday activities like grocery shopping, spending time in nature, and watching television.
Exercise during TV commercial breaks
When your family watches television in the evening, encourage everyone to get up and jog in place or do jumping jacks during commercials. Most commercial breaks are two to three minutes long, which amounts to about eight to 12 minutes of commercials per 30-minute television show. That’s eight to 12 minutes of vigorous physical activity right there!
As another idea, try keeping an exercise bike, elliptical machine, or treadmill near your television so your family can take turns exercising while watching television together. Not only is working out while watching television good for your health, but it makes exercise more enjoyable and increases your chances of making physical activity a habit.
Plant & maintain a summer garden
Along with increasing your intake of fresh fruits and vegetables and teaching your kids important life skills, gardening is a physical activity that increases time spent in nature, benefits mood and mental wellness, and supports a healthy body weight. One study found that gardeners had significantly lower body mass indexes (BMIs) than non-gardeners, while another found that gardening increased heart rate and maximal oxygen consumption (VO2 max). Even watering a garden and washing harvested produce counts as low-intensity physical activity!
Increase your daily step count
Curbside pickup and online shopping were godsends for many of us during the pandemic, and they continue to make our lives easier when we simply don’t have the time to shop. But the convenience of shopping from our mobile devices can mean we’re spending more time sitting each day and a lot less time walking.
We require a minimum of 5,000 steps daily to avoid the health risks of a sedentary lifestyle, and just 30 minutes of shopping amounts to about 2,000 steps. If you visit two stores in one day and spend about 30 minutes shopping at each, that’s approximately 4,000 steps right there! Bonus points if you park further away from entrances, take stairs instead of elevators and escalators, and walk or bike to your destination when possible.
Other ways to increase your daily step count include:
- Hiking, backpacking, or rock climbing.
- Dancing, inline skating, or jumping on a trampoline.
- Walking during your lunch break.
- Playing frisbee, badminton, or tennis.
- Washing your vehicles by hand.
- Vacuuming or scrubbing floors.
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your physical activities! Challenge your kids to a game of tag, build sandcastles on the beach, and play outdoor games like hopscotch or dodgeball.
Enjoy water-based physical activities
When your family has extra time to spare, try renting a paddleboard, kayak, canoe, or paddle boat and enjoy a few hours out on the water. Water-based workouts tend to feel less like exercise and more like fun summer activities, so slather on some sunscreen and aim to spend a few hours each month paddling on a lake or river.
Physical activity can be fun
Contrary to what you may have thought, physical activity can (and should be) enjoyable. It doesn’t have to mean working out at a gym or fitness center, and it can include everything from water-based activities and team sports to hiking, biking, and gardening. The more you enjoy your physical activities, the more likely you’ll be to make daily exercise a habit!
Are you ready to achieve optimal health and wellness this summer? Book a free 15-minute consultation to discuss your health and fitness goals with our functional medicine team!
References:
- https://health.gov/sites/default/files/2019-10/PAG_ExecutiveSummary.pdf
- https://www.cdc.gov/physical-activity-basics/health-benefits/children.html
- https://medlineplus.gov/benefitsofexercise.html
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4974866/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3698715/
- https://journals.ashs.org/hortsci/view/journals/hortsci/46/12/article-p1706.xml
- https://academic.oup.com/eurheartj/article/43/46/4801/6771381?login=false
- https://movespring.s3.amazonaws.com/resources/MoveSpring_ActivitytoSteps.pdf
- https://academic.oup.com/eurjpc/article/30/18/1975/7226309?login=false