Tag Archive for "healthy living"

No-Cost Holistic Living

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Wednesday, June 12, 2013 Diet and Foods, Exercise, Healthy Eating, Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Wellness brooklyn, budget, cheap, CSA, food Permalink 0

By: Callie McBride

If a fear of costliness is preventing you from delving into the wonders of a holistic lifestyle, you are not alone. But, you may also be confused. Its no secret that organic meals and bi-weekly yoga classes can burn through your pocket quite quickly, but there are ways around those bright green dollar signs that offer you the same incredible benefits of living naturally and healthfully. The trick is to simply open your eyes! Scour the web, check out coffeehouse postings, and chat with your fellow yogis to learn about free deals; you will be amazed with what you will find.

Yoga, etc.

Often times yoga and pilates studios, as well as fitness centers, will offer complimentary classes to new customers. Core Power Yoga , Lulu Lemon retail stores, and YoGoer all offer free trials, just to name a few. Let Google be your friend and check out what studios in your areas do the same. Take advantage of those introductory classes to both try out different locations around your city and possibly discover a new favorite spot. I recently browsed the Internet for a martial arts class in Manhattan, and in about ten minutes I was registered for a free one-on-one lesson for the following week, that easy!

There are also studios that generously run classes by donation; if $5 is all you’ve got, they will gladly take it. Both Yoga To The People and Brooklyn Yoga School in New York boast this deal.

During the summer, outdoor yoga skyrockets and prices dip lower than ever. In fact, they disappear. Well and Good NYC puts together an annual Summer Fitness Guide for New Yorkers filled with free yoga, pilates, and bootcamps around all 5 boroughs. Classes include Bryant Park Yoga, Sixth Street Pilates, Washington Square Park Yoga, and much more.

Let’s not forget the wonderful online world of Youtube, home to plenty of fantastic fitness instructors that post free videos to do at home-my favorites are Tara Stiles and Cassey Ho of Pop Pilates. These women are consistent with uploading new videos and have mastered the art of training through the camera.

Meditation

Another important aspect of a holistic lifestyle is meditation, which can always be free. This summer, grab a blanket and pick a park to visit during your free time. Of course, chanting is optional, but ultimate relaxation and peace of mind is garaunteed. My NYC picks are Central Park, Prospect Park in Brooklyn, and Riverside Park on the Upper West Side. With no shortage of parks wherever you live, meditation can be a quick and effective way to check in with your body and maintain a focus on your goals of healthy living. If you need some guidance on how to start meditating, keep your eye out for guided meditation challenges from Deepak Chopra and other wellness experts! There are also tons of free guided meditation apps available for your phone or iPad.

Organic Produce

Organic and healthy foods generally aren’t free–though if you know of a place, shout it out. That doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy the bounty of organic food made available to us. For those of you who like to stock up on organic fruits and veggies, consider shopping wholesale. In New York, the Wholesale Greenmarket is your best bet. The vendors there grow their own produce, and “straight from the farm each morning, their products travel a very short distance ensuring premium quality, and greater food safety and traceability”. (grownyc.org/wholesale) By purchasing your fresh produce in bulk, or least in larger quantities, you’ll save both money and daily trips to the grocery store. The San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market is another example that looks great and includes a huge list of merchants who deliver fresh produce each morning (www.sfproduce.org). A local CSA can also be a super affordable option to eat organic. NextDoorganics is an amazing CSA delivery that sends a huge bag of local organic produce and other goodies to your door for as little as $35 a week!

To sum up, cheap healthy living is entirely possible with a little determination and research. Once you find your collection of free and/or cheap spots, spread the word and get others in on the wonders of holistic living on a budget. Enjoy your mission to locate deals and steals throughout your city, and share what you find in the comments below!

Love Yoga? Find a Wanderlust Festival Near You (news.health.com)

The Busy Mom’s Playbook: 5 Tips to Making Time for Health & Wellness

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Tuesday, May 7, 2013 Healthy Baby, Healthy Eating, Healthy Home, Lifestyle, Organic Beauty, Wellness busy moms, city meets country, happy mommy, health, healthy living Permalink 0

By: Heather Bergstein

Before I met Natasha, I used to say I was powered by M&M’s, caffeine and red wine – and I wasn’t joking! It was how I kept up with my crazy life. I’m a single mom with a gorgeous and precocious 5-year-old, a demanding career, a full social calendar, and a couple of side projects which include my own blog and an upstate cottage. All of that translates into someplace to be, someone to see, or something to do at every moment of every day – and excuses about why I couldn’t take proper care of myself.

But about 8 months ago, my lifestyle started to catch up with me. I was sluggish, gaining weight and just felt exhausted. As a birthday present to myself, I went to see Natasha Uspensky, and my journey to health and happiness began. We evaluated my diet and eating habits, and when we had tweaked my approach to food, we moved on to the root of the issue – my lifestyle. That’s where the real work started; I had to stop complaining and making excuses, and I learned that if I didn’t create time to take care of myself, I’d never have it. And worse, I’d be on a path to burnout.

If you’re reading this and can relate to feelings like ‘I don’t have time’, ‘I’m too busy’, and ‘Work is crazy’, I totally get it. But with Natasha’s help I realized I could do it, if I prioritized myself. Whether you are a Mom or not, if you find yourself falling into the ‘I can’t’ trap again, read my 5 tips for making time and space for YOU in your own life!

1. Accept That You’re Busy, and Move On

You know your to-do list is endless, and that probably won’t change. But you can change your approach. Don’t try to do it all, all the time. Instead, be reasonable and do what has to get done, and put yourself on the list as a non-negotiable.

2. Stop Making Excuses

I made every excuse I could – I played the working mom card, the crazy workweek card, you name it, I said it. But guess what? These are just excuses. If you really want to do something, you will do it, and if you prioritize yourself, you can do it. Stop the excuses, own your life, and just do it already!

3. Take Baby Steps, and Use Shortcuts

Start with small changes that lead to better habits – not sweeping changes that will lead to burnout. Maybe that means cooking one meal each day at home, or fitting in exercise by walking somewhere instead of cabbing it. And there is no shame is using shortcuts to get there, especially if they save you time. So go ahead – order Fresh Direct – and start creating a little more time for you to do what you need to do.

4. Don’t Make Everything into a ‘Thing’

This is a Natasha original! If you look at everything you have to get done as a ‘thing’, each day feels like a mountain you have to climb. Accept that you have things to do, and have fun while doing them. And refer to Tip #1 when your to-do list takes over your life.

5. Happy Mommy = Happy Family

As a mom, I always put my son first. But that approach doesn’t really leave time for you as a person, doesn’t provide a lot of balance, and sometimes leads to a martyr attitude! Do the things that make you happy too. If you want to make time for exercise in your weekend, get a sitter and do it. You’ll be happier, and if you’re happier, so is your family!

It won’t be easy to make changes, but it can be done, so buckle down, take a closer look at what’s standing between you and your health, and use these tips to stop the ‘I can’t’s!

Heather Bergstein is a digital marketing and media professional with beauty and fashion expertise. A New Yorker at heart, she and her son Micah (and born-and-bred, legit NYer) live in NYC, and spend weekends bouncing around downtown or relaxing upstate. Heather is the creator and author of City Meets Country, her blog (aka passion project) about their adventures, both city and country.

The Last (and Best) Diet You’ll Ever Need

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Wednesday, February 27, 2013 Diet and Foods, Healthy Cooking, Healthy Eating, Organic Beauty Ayurveda, best diet, Calorie, diet, eating Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

The traditional Ayurvedic approach to eating emphasizes when you eat as well as what you eat, and it is literally the best and healthiest key to permanent weight loss, lifelong weight management, and optimum health and digestion. It points to the body’s ideal time for consuming the biggest meal of the day.. and it’s certainly not when most Americans think it is.

Our bodies are designed to consume the majority of the day’s calories before 3pm, when digestion is the strongest. This means a balanced breakfast that is nourishing and filling enough to get you through to lunch without feeling hungry (and without needing that mid-morning cup of coffee or snack!). Our bodies function best when lunch is the biggest meal of the day. Midday is when our digestion and metabolism are the strongest, and our system is in need of nourishment and healthy calories. So guess what? That soup or salad just aren’t going to cut it. Your typical light lunch is what’s responsible for your late afternoon energy crash, your high hunger levels in the evening, and your struggles with weight! Making your lunch healthy and dinner-sized is the biggest secret for longterm weight loss, and the end to dieting forever. This big lunch keeps you full and energized throughout the day, and keeps you from overeating in the evening, which is when calories eaten go directly to your problem areas and contribute to weight gain. Dinner, or better yet “supper” (sharing the root of “supplemental” or “soup-like”), should be the lightest meal of the day. Soup is the absolute ideal supper, although a salad is also great.

This way of eating certainly has history and culture on it’s side, being the traditional way of eating for many Eastern cultures, and even much of Western Europe, before eating habits and work cultures were Americanized. But now, there is also cold, hard scientific evidence supporting it! A new study recently published in the International Journal of Obesity proves once and for all that eating your main meal of the day in the evening contributes to weight gain. In the study, a group of 420 overweight men and women were evaluated over five months. During that time, half the group ate their biggest meal of the day before 3pm, while the other half ate it after 3pm. Both groups had the same amount of exercise, ate the same amount of calories throughout the day, and got the same amount of sleep throughout the study. Over the course of the 5 month study, the early eating group lost an average of 22 pounds, while the late eating group lost only 17 pounds.

Further supporting this evidence is a study from the University of Alabama last year, showing that eating higher fat meals in the first half of the day, and a lighter low-fat meal in the second half of the day (see The Key to Sustained Weight Loss) support longterm weight loss. So here’s how to eat:

Eat three meals a day, and don’t snack.
Make lunch the biggest meal of the day.
Make breakfast big enough to get to lunch without feeling hungry.
Make dinner light and “supplementary.”

Even if you change nothing else about your diet, just this shift alone will give you some results! But of course, for this to be the last and best diet you’ll ever need, you’ll want to make some changes to what you’re eating as well.

Eat less meat and dairy, and more low-mercury fish and healthy plant-based fats like nuts, seeds, avocados, and healthy oils.
Eat more vegetables!!! Better yet, eat mostly vegetables! They are nature’s perfect foods.
Eat less processed grains and flours, and more whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, millet and oats.
Eat less sugar. If you need a little sweetness, get it from fruit and healthy sweeteners like stevia or raw honey, all in moderation.

Doesn’t sound so hard, does it?

Want some healthy meal ideas? Check out What Do I Eat? Healthy Eating is Easier Than You Think!, and our Healthy Recipes database.

Reference:
Garalualet M. International Journal of Obesity, Jan 2013.
Bray M. International Journal of Obesity, Mar 2010

One Minute Meditation for Those Who Think They Can’t!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Tuesday, January 8, 2013 Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Wellness bellows breath, health, healthy living, Holistic Health, meditation Permalink 0

Is not having enough time your big excuse for why you can’t meditate? How about not being able to quiet your mind? Well guess what? Meditation problem: solved! You can get so many of the benefits of a regular meditation practice from just 1 minute a day of breathing. Just breathing! I think a big part of the anxiety people have around meditation is that it is this big hard thing that takes years to master. When you stop thinking about it as Meditation with a capital M, and start thinking of it just as sitting quietly and breathing with intention, so much of that anxiety and aversion goes away! Below, you’ll find a sequence of two types of breathing that you can do in conjunction with one another for just one minute… Or extend the meditation for as long as you want. Harnessing the powerful Bhastrika breath described below is all you need to bring your attention back to your breath when your mind starts to wander. And it’s really as simple as that!

Sit comfortably, upright in your chair, with your hands in your lap.

Start by breathing for about 30 seconds using a Bhastrika or bellows breath: Breathe deep through your nose, in and out, using all five lobes of your lungs like a big bellows. Use your lungs in and out as much as you can, only in and only out through your nose. You do that for about 30 seconds. Our upper lungs have stress receptors that get activated when our breath is shallow, which is how most of us breath throughout the day. When we use our lower lungs, like in bhastrika, we activate calm receptors that soothe our nervous system.

Next, breathe for the next 30 seconds doing an Ujjayi breath: This is kind of the classic yoga breath where you actually do a snoring or ocean sound through your nose. Constrict your stomach muscles and force that snoring sound out through your nose. You do that for about 30 seconds. You can repeat this one-minute sequence as many times as you like. Do bellows breath as deep in and as deep out as you can for 30 seconds and follow this with 30 seconds of silence breathing through an ujjayi or ocean breath.

Extended Meditation: If you would like to meditate longer, you can start by doing Bhastrika breath for 30 seconds.Then use Ujjayi breath and sit quietly until you start thinking again. When you feel thoughts resurfacing do Bhastrika for 10-20 seconds to quiet your mind. Sit quietly again using Ujjayi breath until thoughts arise and follow once again with Bhastrika for 10-20 seconds. Follow this cycle until you feel you are done meditating.

via Meditation: One Minute to a Quiet Mind.

8 Ways to Simplify and De-Stress Your Life

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Monday, November 12, 2012 Holistic Health, Lifestyle, Wellness de-stress, environment, happiness, health, healthy living Permalink 0

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC

It is virtually impossible to prioritize your health, wellbeing, and happiness when your days are filled to the brim with excessive clutter, both physical and emotional. Taking some steps to simplify your life will do wonders for your state of mind, productivity, and balance, and will allow you to better fill your plate (so to speak) with things that make you happy, healthy, and taken care of!

1. Say NO! The biggest mistake overworked, overburdened people make is saying yes to too many things. Social engagements, play dates, work assignments, favors, the list goes on and on. We’re all afraid that if we admit that our plate might be a little full, it makes us some sort of colossal failure. Well, newsflash! Taking on too much means the things you are doing aren’t getting your full attention, which significantly lowers the quality of your engagement — with your friends, your family, your work, everything! So stop being afraid to say no. Pick what really matters to say yes to, and get a raincheck on the rest!

2. Make your bed. Guess what? Momma was right on that one (I know, it kills to admit it!)… The simple step of making yourbed every morning starts your day off with a little more order, a little less clutter, and a little more mental space for productivity. Our physical environment is a reflection of our mental and emotional environment, a phenomenon that goes both ways. Having just a little more neatness in your physical space will contribute to more calm and balance everywhere else… And it literally takes but a minute!

3. Reclaim your inbox. Yes, I know it is super duper important that you not miss out on any of the eight billion flash sale sites that you’re signed up for, and that getting newsletters from every single store, travel site, or gallery you’ve ever visited is absolutely crucial to your feeling in-the-know in life, but all that is really just contributing to your feeling of overwhelm and stress. When you open your inbox every morning to a barrage of (let’s be honest) totally unnecessary crap that you need to sort through to get to the one email from your friend about her upcoming birthday party, your day is simply not getting off to a great start. Not only is this is an enormous waste of your precious time, but it also gives you the illusion that you are a lot more stressed/busy/overworked/overwhelmed than you really are! They’re just emails! They’re not even important! So go through your inbox and unsubscribe to absolutely everything but the most important, life-affirming, happiness-making content (like my newsletter! Which you can sign up for right over there —–>), or make good use of the Hotmail or Yahoo account from the 8th grade, and change all of your commercial correspondence to be delivered there. That way, you can check it once a week, or whenever you really feel like a Gilt sale will boost your spirits, and pretend that whole mess doesn’t even exist the rest of the time.

4. Quit multi-tasking! Ok, I could hear the collective gasp from everyone reading this. “But Natasha! I’ve spent the last 10 years of my life cultivating the skill of reading emails, listening to music, talking to my mother, eating lunch, and finishing my quarterly report all at once! It’s a defining aspect of my amazing character!” Yes, I say to you… But how well has that worked out for you so far? Do you feel like your work, your relationships, and your self-care are all getting the attention they deserve? Or is everything perpetually getting about 30% of your headspace? I’ve gotta say, multi-tasking is probably the most harmful and counterproductive trend of the last two decades, and it’s time we put it to rest. Truly successful, productive, balanced people do NOT multi-task! They dedicate themselves fully to one task at a time, whether than be work, talking to a friend, eating a meal, or watching The Big Bang Theory. This allows you to not only get more done (like, really done, not half-assed done), but it also allows to you enjoy what you are doing so much more. Work on chunking your time into specific task-oriented blocks. Carve out time for answering emails, calling your mom, eating lunch, relaxing, reading, and exercise and don’t let any of those activities overlap! I promise you, after a week or two of living this way, your cortisol levels will go down, and your seratonin levels will go up. Hell, you may even lose a pound or two, or get a promotion! Everything that you do will be done infinitely better, and more importantly, you’ll feel better doing it!

5. Write down the five things in the world that are most important to you. This simple step will allow you to refocus your time and energy on what really matters, and let what really isn’t worth your time fall by the wayside. Keep your list somewhere handy and read it at least once a day. Have you done something to benefit, support, or move towards a goal related to the things on your list that day? If not, schedule it in. It is way too easy to waste our lives focusing on the minutia of the day-to-day, while ignoring what matters most. But luckily, it is totally up to you whether or not you live this way! Take control of your life today.

6. Pencil yourself in. When you’re looking ahead at your calendar, make sure you have some you-time scheduled in every single day. This might mean a 1 hour yoga class, or a 10 minute walk in the sun, and anything in between. Whatever it is, make it something you enjoy that leaves you feeling more revitalized and happy. Every day. When you start making yourself a priority, even on such a small scale, it becomes a whole hell of a lot easier to stay in control on your time and your emotions!

7. Delegate. This one can be the hardest to do, but yields the highest pay off. Allow me to let you in on a little secret… You can’t do it all. This isn’t a criticism, it is simply a fact. You cannot stay on top of every single little detail in your life and the lives of your family members and expect to stay sane. It’s just not possible! So start delegating. Pick 3-5 of your least favorite tasks that you consistently need to accomplish and delegate them to someone else. Hate cleaning your house? Get a housecleaner! Even once every other week, for $75-$100, having someone get your home into sparkling clean condition is SO completely worth it! Can’t stand administrative tasks? Get an assistant, or better yet, hire an intern! There are so many smart young things out there just dying to get experience doing exactly what you do for very little money, and sometimes just the cost of lunch! Ask your spouse to wash the dishes or take care of laundry, ask your mom to take the kids to their dentist appointments. It’s so easy to forget that the people in your life love you and want to help you stay sane and happy! Whatever it is, figure out who can help you get it done.

8. Make smarter to-do lists. Once a week, write down everything you need to get done that week (of course, after having SAID NO, DELEGATED, and WRITTEN DOWN WHAT’S IMPORTANT). Assign yourself 3-5 specific tasks for each day of the week, no more. If you can’t fit all your weekly to-do’s into 3-5 tasks per day, you need to go back and read the list above again. Say no, delegate, write down what’s really important, and cross some stuff off that weekly list. 3-5 tasks per day is really all you can commit yourself to accomplishing well, while still leaving yourself plenty of time for penciling yourself in and taking care of what’s really important. I promise, this will change your life!

SaveSave

An Amazing Day of Yoga

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Monday, September 10, 2012 Exercise ariel simone, Exercise, healthy living, nkechi njaka, yoga Permalink 0

by Nkechi Njaka, MSc

Wow, what difference morning yoga makes! I had the most amazing day last Saturday–I challenged myself to double up on two morning yoga classes, which is something that I have never done before. And it was particularly special since both classes were offered in non-traditional spaces and were sized at over 100 yogis.

The first class was the Flavorpill event the Art of Yoga. My guess is that 300 or more yogis gathered at the SFMOMA for a free class taught by Elise Lorimer. We were greeted by Naked Juice reps (delicious smoothies and coconut water) and DJ J Boogie was awesome at creating a fun practice environment with music.

The class was a pretty advanced beginner Vinyasa class, which makes sense given the large group and the diverse yoga levels. There wasn’t a whole lot of room to do crazy balances and inversions however I did feel incredibly strong and present in my practice and was able to nail a couple of balances that I have been working on for a couple weeks.

My new yoga friends from lululemon athletica (right) and I rushed from SFMOMA to SF Union Square for another amazing massive yoga class—this one being for cancer research. Yoga for Hope is amazing event for yoga beginners and experts created from the City of Hope’s efforts to expand awareness of the importance of the mind-body-spirit connection. As an integrated wellness practitioner, I love the way that this facility incorporates complimentary and integrative therapies such as yoga and meditation in the patient treatment programs; it is so needed in the hospitals! I bet there were at least 400 people there! It was such a gorgeous, sunny day and the class was both reflective and restorative.

Last year, Yoga for Hope raised over $30,000! It was so powerful to offer prayer and acknowledgements to those we know whom cancer, diabetes and HIV have affected. I love offering my practice to others, and it was really meaningful to me to think of those in my life who have or have had a chronic illness. The cool part about this event is that after the yoga class, there were several workshops and demonstrations offered. My favorite was the Whole Foods workshop where we could sample a delicious quinoa breakfast salad as well as organic granola and fresh organic fruit.

Post yoga glow–I was feeling extremily revitalized and amazing and I had so much of the day left! This ArielSimone headband is one of my recent favorite things to wear to class, as it keeps hair and sweat from my eyes. This top is also ArielSimone and can be worn to and from yoga over any yoga tank or sports bra–I love that it nicely converts to a casual outfit after class. It was perfect post-yoga outfit for the errands that I ran in the city before rushing off to meet up with friends.

Powerful words to reflect on….

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude.

~ Denis Waitley

Newsflash: Shorter Workouts More Effective!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Wednesday, August 29, 2012 Exercise 30 minute workouts, american journal of physiology, Exercise, health, healthy living Permalink 0

New research that recently appeared in the American Journal of Physiology shows that 3o minute workouts actually have as good, and often even better, effects on weight loss, calorie burning, and energy levels than 60 minute workouts!

I have long been a big fan of the shorter, more targeted workout.. I always feel drained and just generally blah after longer workouts, while regular shorter workouts leave my body feeling energized and fabulous. So I’m thrilled that there is now research supporting this much more pleasant method of exercise!

The key is to workout in a smart and targeted manner to make the most of the shorter duration. Opt for a combination of cardio and strength training for maximum results, and alternate between the parts of your body you work. Shoot for working out 5 days a week, with 1-2 of the days dedicated to pilates or yoga.

Check out some of these great 30 minute workouts!

30 Minute Fitness Blitz from WebMD

3o Minute Workout, No Gym Required from Health.com

30 Minute Outdoor Playground Workout from Women’s Health Magazine

Total Body Transformation 6 Month Workout Program from Women’s Health Magazine

—-

Natasha Uspensky, chhc

Holistic Health & Nutrition Counselor

5 Great Mini-Workouts You Can Do Everyday!

By: Natasha Uspensky, CHHC Monday, August 20, 2012 Exercise, Lifestyle Exercise, healthy living, Holistic Health, mini workouts, motivation Permalink 0

Following up on my recent post “Start Working Out! Now!” I wanted to share some great, mini-workouts that anyone, even Mrs. BusyBusy Pants McOverworkedstein, can fit into every day life. By no means do these mini-workouts take the place of a real, bona fide exercise regimen, but they are a great place to get started incorporating movement into everyday life, or to keep moving and burning those calories between workout days. When you have a regular exercise routine, you’ll find that your body starts to physically crave movement, like your muscles are itching to be flexed! These little mini-workouts are great tricks to scratch that itch, boost energy and maximize calorie burning all day long.

The Subway Ballerina: While waiting for the train, I often find myself sub-consciously doing pretty little ballerina moves that are super-toning, but still subtle enough to not attract too much attention. Opt for little leg lifts (lifting leg behind you, reps of 15 per side) and little plié/calf-raises (in first position, squat slightly and then get on your toes, come down, repeat. Reps of 15), that will tone up your butt, calves and thighs, while you’re reading Lucky Mag and waiting for your train! Can’t find a seat on the train? Do your pliés while you’re standing!
The Stairmaster: You know you should be taking the stairs, but now, actually do it! Leaving your building, going up to your office… any time you have a chance to take the stairs (particularly going up), do it! It’s great cardio, and a wonderful workout for your legs
The Compulsive Walker: This is the easiest daily mini-workout you can do. If you live in an urban environment, this is definitely a lot easier. Get off the train a stop early on your walk to work, and at the end of the day, pick a station slightly further away, so you can have a nice, long walk to end your day! If you live in a rural or suburban environment, pick a parking spot further away from your destination, so you can sneak a longer walk in. For lunch, skip the car, and get the gang together to walk to your favorite lunch spot! In the evening, a wonderful activity to do as a couple or family (or even solo!) is taking a nice walk after dinner! It gets everything moving, improves digestion, and is another great way to sneak in some physical activity!
The Office Iron Pumper: Depending on what you do for a living, there is tons of time throughout the day when you can multitask in some exercise throughout your workday. When I had an office job, I, along with a lot of the women I worked with, kept some light weights in their cubicles to do bicep curls (3 sets of 10-15 reps per arm), or overhead triceps extensions (3 sets of 10) while talking on the phone at work. Don’t want to bring weights to work? You can use water bottles, soup cans, or any other comfortable 2-4 lb. item!
The Ball Chair Baby: I am a big fan of the exercise ball office chair. In addition to being amazing for stability, posture, and core strength, the ball chair comes with a ton of awesome exercises you can do, right at your desk! Your ball chair should come with a little booklet of workouts, but my favorites are seated leg lifts, seated side crunches, and trunk rotations. You can do these throughout the day to maximize time spent in front of the computer, and tone up that core!