Quick Fit Tips for the Busy Day

By: Eric Macha, Coordinator of Fitness and Wellness Programs

Regular exercise is easily accomplished when we’re young but becomes more difficult to balance with our schedules as we age. As kids, we unknowingly burned hundreds of calories a day through play. In our teens, organized and/or recreational sports helped many of us stay active and also gave us an introduction to conditioning and strength training. As early as our late teen years, exercise started to take a backseat to other things. As responsibilities increase in adulthood, we lose more of our free time and unfortunately, regular exercise tends to completely drop from many of our lives. Reestablishing a routine can be difficult. This article contains suggestions and tips to help you get back into a regular exercise routine through resources available to you as an employee of Ball State.

It can be daunting to get back into a regular exercise routine, but the good news is you don’t have to jump in the deep end right away. The easiest first step is just to get up and move regularly. Movement is exercise! We often spend a lot of our workday sitting which can start to wreak havoc on our bodies. Sitting for long periods can cause stiff and tight joints, back pain, poor posture, and can hinder your circulation and metabolism. The best thing you can do is walk for 5-10 minutes every hour. This will help to counteract the potential issues and can be accomplished without bringing a change of clothes or shoes. Most buildings on campus have long hallways that can be walked in. On nice days, step outside and do a lap or two around your building. Enjoy the sunlight, fresh air, and beautiful campus.

I prefer to exercise alone, but many people enjoy exercise more when it has a social aspect to it. If you are one of these people, find a friend on campus and try to start a walking or workout routine together. Not only will it give you the social aspect you’re looking for, but it will also make your workouts more enjoyable and create accountability. Everyone has their days where they might want to skip a workout, but a having friend may help you to stay on track and keep you motivated.

Group exercise classes are another great way to not only workout with a friend but meet new people from across campus as well. Our REC Fit program, offered through Recreation Services, has classes available before work, during lunch times, and in the evenings. They are very easy to fit into your schedule. Group exercise classes are also great for individuals who don’t want to have to worry about finding their own exercise routines or planning their workouts every day.  Recreation Services’ instructors do all the programming for you. All you have to do is show up and do the workout. All of our classes are beginner-friendly, and our instructors will work with you on proper exercise execution to make sure you are safely performing each exercise. For additional information, please click here.

A huge benefit to working at Ball State is having two fitness centers on campus. This is great for many reasons, but convenience is definitely one of the biggest. Making time to work out doesn’t just include the time you spend working out, but also the commute to and from the gym along with changing clothes and showering. This can sometimes take up more of your free time than your actual workout itself. Having fitness centers on campus almost completely eliminates that hurdle and makes getting to the gym as easy as possible. Both fitness centers open at 6 a.m. Getting in a workout and shower are easily doable before your workday even begins. If mornings aren’t for you, utilizing your lunch break to workout is a great idea as well. Both of our fitness centers have cardio and strength equipment, free weights, and walking/running tracks. No matter what kind of workout you want to do, we have something to offer you. For more information on membership and rates, please click here.

There’s a lot of reasons that keep us from getting things done, but hopefully this article eliminated a few of the reasons that might’ve been keeping you from beginning your exercise journey. I encourage all of you to take advantage of the amazing resources that we have on campus. Get up and get moving today!

If you have any questions concerning these tips or our programs, you can contact me at edmacha@bsu.edu.