Want to get a little workout done during your daily tasks or do you really love “going” to exercise?  You might love it, but most people really don’t like working out if they are being honest about it.  My mom thinks I love it.  I told her I don’t; if I could be healthy, fit, toned and able to eat everything I wanted, I would not exercise.  But we know that’s not possible and because I exercise, I like how I look and how I feel and that I am healthy!  It’s the “going” that is sometimes tough to fit exercise into our lives.  So, what if you could work out during some daily life tasks? Keep reading to find out how you can add a few moves to daily tasks and turn them into a workout.

What if there were two of you? That’d be one way to solve the “going and fitting in” issue. If that were possible, “this you” could do all your daily tasks so that your “other you” could do things like go work out, paint a room, or cook dinner.  Since there is only one of you, perhaps using some creativity, organization and keeping things simple, you can add ways to burn extra calories while doing your everyday tasks.

Look at your activities; identify movements; repeat.

In this example, we will take a look at activities during a realistic routine.

Time	Task	Activity	Movement
7 am – 8 am	Shower	Get dressed
8 am – 9 am	Commute	Study/drive/ride
9 am – 10 am	Arrive somewhere	Meet with ___?

Identify and choose a movement you do to perform each daily activity.  It will be a very simple movement/stretch that you will repeat 9 more times.  

Example 1 – Shower/dress – add a deadlift

When you dry off your legs and feet, you have to bend down and come back up. Now we have identified a movement and it’s called a deadlift.  Additionally, when you put on your pants or underwear you do the same movement as in drying off your feet; again, you do a deadlift.  Here is your first opportunity to do 9 more deadlifts right after drying your feet and pulling up your pants.  Remember, pants don’t need to go up more than once, you do.

Muscles worked

Deadlifts work/stretch your glutes, hamstrings and your lower back.  Performed with weights, you use even more muscles, but with your towel or pants, we are just going for some mobility and to burn a few extra calories.  

How Much Will You Burn? 

To answer this, we have to look at the, MET formula.

Oaky, bathroom deadlifts are not going to work off the donut you might eat for breakfast!  In fact, it will not even burn off one bite of the donut.  (so, step away from the donut!)   If you really want to find out the number of calories you might burn, you could reference the topic about the metabolic equivalent of task (MET).  The site, COMPENDIUM OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITIES, defines MET “is the objective measure of the ratio of the rate at which a person expends energy, relative to the mass of that person, while performing some specific physical activity compared to a reference, set by convention at 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute, which is roughly equivalent to the energy expended when sitting quietly.”  We can all guess, just from the “sitting quietly” reference above, that the number of calories burned, putting on your pants, will be minimal.  That being said, what if we look at a longer term; your total calories burned will add up every week and every month to be more than what you were burning, after each shower, when you were only doing one rep of putting on your pants.  

Good Bathroom Exercise Form

For a bathroom workout, you can do deadlifts and stay pretty injury-free because you aren’t using any weights.  However, if you want to use good form:

CAUTIONS: 

Choose the version best for you as shown in the photos below. 

Imagining the bar is your PANTS!

Put both feet flat on the floor before going up.

• Hinge hips back (like you’d react if something was coming fast at your private parts).  
• Keep back flat, not rounded, while you bend down and come up.  
• Keep knees slightly bent when you bend down if you feel too much stretch in your hamstrings (back of your thighs).  
• Keep hands touching your legs.  
• Tighten abs before you come back up to standing.
• Squeeze glutes (butt cheeks) when you arrive back up.  
• Inhale on the way down, exhale on the way up

Keep in mind, this is not the gym and you are not trying to add a lot of time to your morning task, just a little more mobility and a few more calories burned over time.

Here is a look at our updated activities table in a realistic routine. 

7 am – 8 am

Shower

Get dressed

Deadlifts

Example 2 – Commute – Isometric ab/chest squeeze

When you are the driver, you use a steering wheel to steer the car.  When you put two hands on the steering wheel, you find the first opportunity for an isometric movement.  If you are driving your car or sitting on a subway seat or riding on the bus, you can still use isometric squeezes to work some muscles.  

Sitting in your car: When you are sitting and driving, place your hands, one at 3 and the other at 9 o’clock, on the steering wheel.  Slowly, start pushing your hands inward with some constant force, as if you were trying to clap your two hands together.  Keep pressure constant for about 5 seconds.  Release and repeat 9 more times.

Sitting on the subway or bus: For this method, place your left hand on the left knee and your right hand on the right knee.  Slowly, start pushing your hands down on your knees with some constant force.  Keep your arms straight without letting your elbows bend. Push for about 5 seconds.  Release and repeat 9 more times. If you carry a briefcase, use it like the steering wheel method above.

Muscles worked

The steering wheel squeeze primarily works your chest or pectoral muscles.  You will also work your biceps and shoulders. All three muscles are worked isometrically.  Your stomach or abs and your triceps are felt when you push down on your knees.  

Calories burned

From our MET lesson above, we can again assume that the total calories burned will be moderate to low.  Research would still show they are worth doing when you look at a longer time frame.  Anything done consistently, over time, will produce some change. So, just do it!

Good Driving or Riding Isometric Form

Doing an isometric workout while you are commuting, you can press and squeeze and stay pretty injury-free because you aren’t using any weights.  You should always make driving safely your highest priority.  Never take your focus off the road.  Good form looks like this:

• Press mainly with the palms of your hands.  
• Tighten abs as you press your hands.
• Inhale at rest, exhale while using force.

Here is a look at our updated activities in a realistic routine. 

7 am – 8 am	Shower	Get dressed	Deadlifts
8 am – 9 am	Commute	Study/drive/ride	Isometric squeeze

Example 3 – arrive somewhere

Try this one on your own when you arrive at work or at school.

First – Identify the activities you will be doing.

Will you use any stairs, walk a long way, have extra time, sit, stand, operate, listen, lead or teach, etc.  You now get the idea of how to identify the available activities when you arrive somewhere.

Second –  Choose the movement you can repeat a total of 10 times.

The movement you choose depends on the activity you are doing at that time.

Third – Try to figure out what you’re feeling and where you feel it.

Is anything tightening, anything getting warm, anything stretching?  That’s your muscles talking to you.  Good job!

Complete your chart!

7 am – 8 am	Shower	Get dressed	Deadlifts
8 am – 9 am	Commute	Study/drive/ride	Isometric squeeze
9 am – 10:30	Arrive somewhere	?                            .	?                            .

My choice exercise while at work

I love to take the stairs whenever I can.  When I am at work, I take two steps at a time to work my glutes and thighs.  I am also the one climbing the escalator instead of just riding it. (I know some of you hate when people do that).  The reason I do it, is because when I lost 45 lbs. I knew I had to keep moving as much as possible to keep it off.  Climbing the stairs is something I have to do anyway so, I just take the opportunity to: identify my activity, choose a movement from that activity and then repeat it nine more times!

High-fives to you for identifying your new movements in your daily routine tasks and to the healthy-fit you!

For more ideas or to get a full workout, send email to PHDEXP@YAHOO.COM and check out the LisaRyanHealthyFit Youtube Channel.

Kinesiology tape is a therapeutic tape used for pain reduction and injury healing. You may have heard about this tape or you may have seen it if you watch sports like basketball, swimming, volleyball or soccer, to name a few.  To learn what kinesiology tape is all about, we went to our brand source, KT Tape.  The following description is from KTTape.com.

Determine the source of the pain

There is a taping application for almost every pain you might feel in your muscles, joints and ligaments.  You should first, seek the advice of a professional to determine the source of your  pain.  We do not diagnose anyone’s pain.  Your health professional may choose to apply tape while you are there.  If they don’t, that’s where we come in.

How LRHF (LisaRyanHealthyFit) helps you with tape

Application

The first application with us is a teaching application. If you can reach the part needing to be taped, you will leave with clear instructions on how to apply KT Tape yourself.  Unfortunately, some applications simply cannot be self-applied.  For those hard to reach locations, we can apply the tape for you and we can teach someone you bring along with you.

Sales

We have a variety of tapes in stock as well as some other complementary treatment products.  You can choose whatever is best for your pain resolution.  You can purchase tape rolls or just pay for service, which includes the tape used in each application.

Who should not use tape?

There are a few instances where one should never use tape. This list is copied from Very Well Health.  The link to the complete article is also provided for your reference.

CAUTIONS: The following is a list of absolute contraindications to using kinesiology tape according to VeryWellHealth.com:

• Severe allergic reactions to adhesive tape: Kinesiology tape adheres to your skin. If you have a history of a severe allergic reaction to adhesives, you should avoid using the tape. Typically kinesiology tape is worn during athletic activity, but it can also be worn for many days, and placing your skin in contact with adhesives for a long period of time can lead to serious allergic reactions.
• Open wounds: If you have an open wound or surgical incision that is not fully healed, do not use kinesiology tape.
• The tape could produce a situation where bacteria is introduced into the wound. 
• Presence of deep vein thrombosis (DVT): A DVT is a blood clot in one of the deep veins of the arm or leg. Using kinesiology tape near the DVT can increase mobility and blood flow. This may cause the clot to become dislodged and may put you at risk for a pulmonary embolism, which may be fatal.
• Infection: If there you are showing signs of infection, kinesiology tape should not be used, as this may cause worsening of your condition.
• Diabetes: If you have uncontrolled diabetes, you may suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a condition where you may have altered sensation in your legs or arms. Kinesiology tape should not be used if you have diabetes, your sensation may be altered, and you may not know if the tape is causing a reaction or a problem with your skin.
• Active cancer: If you are currently undergoing treatment for cancer, you should avoid using kinesiology tape since it is thought that the tape increase circulation, and increasing blood flow and nutrition to a cancerous lesion may be dangerous.

If you have any of these problems, you must avoid kinesiology tape. Consult your doctor for more information about your diagnosis and why kinesiology tape is not right for you.

For instructions on home self-care, use KT Tape videos.

There are many instructional videos that provide tutorials for you to learn from.  These are a great place to start.  Our fee-based services are available, if you need them.

Special offers

Special offers from KT Tape are the same offers available with LRHF.  Simply show the current offer and the current dates referenced to receive the same special.

Resources and References

https://www.kttape.com/kt-tape-products?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIusfisv-h6QIVc-W1Ch2FXgdZEAAYASAAEgLo7fD_BwE

https://www.verywellhealth.com/should-you-avoid-using-kinesiology-tape-2696036

Yes, since a warmup routine is a series of light exercises and flexibility moves that precede the strength training or workout phase. If a well- designed warmup is repeated several times, your body will intake more oxygen and increase metabolism, thus creating physiological changes, which can improve your health.  

Physiological changes that can occur are found in these systems:

• Musculoskeletal (skeleton, muscles, cartilage, tendons, ligaments, joints and connective tissue which all give the body its form)
• Cardiovascular (heart, blood vessels, and blood which transports nutrients)
• Respiratory (lungs – which take in oxygen and rid the body of carbon dioxide)
• Endocrine (glands that produce and secrete hormones, chemical substances produced in the body that regulate the activity of cells or organs)
• Immune (body defense system which protects against disease)

Considerations of a Warmup 

The reason for a warmup

To prepare: resting muscles for stretching and contracting along with resting joints for flexion and extension, before exercise. 

The goal of a warmup

To increase heart rate, blood flow and oxygen intake and to reduce chances of injury during exercise.

Safety first

Safety really is my number one rule to which all my clients will attest.  How does it sound when you hear, “Oh I hurt my knee because I was stepping up on my porch then lost my balance and fell.” Most people won’t even tell you how they fell because they are too embarrassed.  Don’t be in a hurry and take five seconds to observe your path for the safest route.  Always think safety first and hold on to something sturdy to help you balance.  Balance is important to have but not always necessary for a warmup.  It’s okay to hold onto something for balance.  Remember this: “Five seconds of safety can prevent five months of therapy.”  Lisa Ryan

How to Start A Warmup 

Active stretching

To start a warmup, go very easy by moving in and out of some stretches. This type of moving is called active stretching. It is also referred to as dynamic stretching; they mean the same thing. The opposite type of stretching is called static stretching and it happens when you hold a muscle in the stretch for 20 – 30 seconds. Static stretching is best used post-workout.  Since you are warming up your cold muscles and your resting joints, active stretching is more suitable before you exercise.

Example of active stretching for a hamstring – Football Kick

Begin by holding on to something sturdy. Imagine now you are about to kick an invisible football. Bring one leg back, while taking in a breath, and then with a gentle to medium amount of power, exhale and move that leg forward until your foot contacts the invisible football.  The active stretch is felt when your leg follows through and moves upward in front of you. Do not hold your leg up in the air though, let it drop with gravity back down next to your other leg. Prepare for another kick after taking in another breath.  By doing a football kick, you used an active stretch to warm up your hamstring muscle (back of the thigh). 

Try 8-10 reps for each leg.

Try 3 sets total.

The Football Kick is part of a routine I designed, which I call, The Wiggle Warmup. To see the full Wiggle Warmup routine, follow this link below.

Summary

Use a well designed warmup routine that includes active stretching to increase your heart rate and oxygen intake.  When you feel a little sweat starting to appear on your body, you have achieved one example of a physiological change.  Over time, when physiological changes occur in the Musculoskeletal, Cardiovascular, Respiratory, Endocrine and Immune systems, you become healthier.

My Warmup 

I have designed many warmups based on the workouts that I give my clients.  I warm up the same way with the same goal of preparing my body for exercise.  After reading and researching a while ago that most people don’t do a sufficient warmup, I changed all my clients warmups to ensure they achieve the physiological changes needed before they exercise.  This keeps them safe and I soon realized that a well designed warmup, repeated three or four times, is enough exercise for some of my older clients. Try one of my warmup routines and see how you feel!

Other Warmups to try by LRHF

• Animal Tricks
• Planet Earth
• Bend and Reach

May, 2020 by, Lisa Ryan

Is Sitting Bad?

Most of us can guess that sitting for too long is not healthy, but do we know why? Besides the inactive lifestyle it can lead to, the Mayo clinic adds other more serious issues; “They include obesity and a cluster of conditions — increased blood pressure, high blood sugar, excess body fat around the waist and abnormal cholesterol levels — that make up metabolic syndrome. In a study by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology report researchers concluded that we burn 54 fewer calories when we sit for an hour than if we stood for the same hour.  This study is proof of why sitting is one of the reasons we gain weight. 

Is standing the better choice and are there any real benefits of standing?  

Standing sounds like the better option, but many people develop chronic back pain issues from standing too long.  Another potential problem, for example, “We found that people who primarily stand on the job are twice as likely to develop heart disease as people who primarily sit. This was the case even after taking into account a wide range of factors, including personal factors (including age, gender, education levels, ethnicity, immigrant status and marital status), health (e.g., diabetes, arthritis, hypertension, mood and anxiety disorders) and the type of work being performed (e.g., physical demands, shift schedule).” This information is from the article, Standing too much at work can double your risk of heart disease, by Peter Smith. Now we have to ask, which is better for us. 

What should we do more of, sit or stand?

For Healthline and many other researchers, the conclusion seems to be that alternating between sitting and standing is really the best plan for improving and maintaining your physical health. Since there is an increase in calorie burning of 54 calories per hour, Dr. Michael Rozin and myself think every little bit helps!  Everything we do such as: lifting a finger, blinking our eyes, laughing and standing uses up some energy.  In our daily life, we should build in opportunities and take them as often as we can. We do need to always listen to our bodies and stand for the time we can, without pain, and sit when we feel like we need to sit.

Here’s what some experts have to say about alternating sitting and standing.

HEALTHLINE

In the article from Healthline written by, Kristen Fischer, “Quite a few studies have shown that a single day of breaking up sitting with standing or short walks seems to have a beneficial effect on health parameters like blood sugar control, blood pressure, and feelings of pain and fatigue.” That was according to Barone Gibbs, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh.

Vari

A leader in making sit-stand desk converters is, VariDesk®, now Vari reports the benefits in education from standing up.  In classrooms, for instance, “standing has proven to be an effective way to improve memory and focus as well as test scores.”  I know from my own experience that those benefits extend outside a classroom too. If standing can help improve memory and focus, then we all need to do it more, not just in the classroom.

US NEWS

“Standing at your desk for part of the day can help your hips stay flexible, increase muscle activity and improve circulation.”

Summary

There are more reasons why standing up when you are at home in your daily life are more beneficial than sitting. As noted above, a few of the reasons to not sit so much are: better focus, improved memory, weight management and reduced hip tightness.  We need to think of these daily life opportunities, like standing when you read a book instead of sitting, and alternate them for our good health.

Here is a little video I created on how I read standing up.

LRHF Exercise at home – Reading Standing Up

The answer can be yes; it often matters how we ask, how we act, what exactly we ask of them and if we have enough patience with them.

Order

Sometimes, we think we need to tell our friends and our loved ones that they should exercise when we see them not being active. We love exercise, we can do it, we are happier because we exercise and we want them to have all those things too, just like we do. But the problem with telling anyone to do anything, is that they feel like we are giving them an order. It also sends a message, even though unintended, that we think they are not okay, just as they are right now. At least that’s what my, now teenage daughter, tells me.

Ponder

What if we ask them a question to ponder instead of giving an order? Now, any thoughts they have about our questions come from themselves and not from us. For example, if you want to say, “I think you should go for a walk today,” ORDER. We could instead ask “how are you feeling today, do you think walking would help?” PONDER.

Possible Responses – Order

For many of us, our human nature is to rebel against orders given to us. We prefer to have and make our own choices. If we look at our ORDER again, “I think you should go for a walk today,” what responses might we get, realizing some responses are in their thoughts? Some possibilities are: I’ll walk when I want to, I don’t feel like walking right now; I really want to just take a nap; Why do I always have to do what YOU do because YOU like to do it?; Why not ask me what I WANT to do?; Sounds good, I think I will. These are just a few examples. My daughter asks, “what about what I want to do?” She has helped me learn that people prefer to make their own choices, not to be ordered.

Possible Responses – Ponder

Let’s take a look at possible responses to our alternative question that causes them to PONDER, “how are you feeling today, do you think walking would help?” We can see that this question can only be answered by the person being asked because only they know how they are feeling. This type of question requires their personal assessment of things such as: their current physical health, their schedule, their desire and whether they think anything would improve by doing what they are considering for themselves. Their response will take some time as they consider everything. Taking time means their response is less likely to have rebellion in it. Try asking questions that cause them to ponder before they answer.

Inspiring others with actions

We need to keep doing what we do. Our actions are noticed even if our words are dismissed. We have heard this phrase many times, “actions speak louder than words.” One of the best examples, for me and in my opinion where someone’s actions demonstrate this, is by Jesus. His actions have been inspiring people to change, some right away, others over time, for thousands of years. He taught through his words, but it is through many of his actions, modeled by people today, that are noticed and remembered. And just as children make mistakes, while trying to act the way parents want them to, so do people trying to model Jesus. In time, some will act in the same way as the model does, some won’t. The bottom line is keep exercising, the same way you always do, you are modeling and it is being noticed.

Seeing someones actions requires us to use our eyes. We upload images and actions that we see in to our memories. These are images put together in to short movies that we watch. We retain these movies through our other senses such as: touch, smell, taste and sound as well. Science has proven that we can retain images longer and we can recall them faster than we can recall what people have told us. I say, don’t stop modeling what you do, your actions have the power to speak, silently.

Those are my thoughts, now what do the experts say?

Modeling of Behavior Definition

“Modeling is one way in which behavior is learned. When a person observes the behavior of another and then imitates that behavior, he or she is modeling the behavior. This is sometimes known as observational learning or social learning. Modeling is a kind of vicarious learning in which direct instruction need not occur. “1

Read more at: Psychology.IResearchnet.com

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Monkey see monkey do

The writers at UE-Using English.com, who provide lessons and information on English as a second language, explains the answer to this question, “What does ‘Monkey see, monkey do‘ mean?” The explanation is this, “This idiom means that children will learn their behaviour by copying what they see happening around them.” I believe this applies to adults too but it takes more time and more knowledge to have an effect.

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“Questions push people to figure out the answers on their own.”

Inga Stasiulionyte

In her article titled, 6 Underlying Benefits of Asking Questions, written by, Inga Stasiulionyte, Inga writes about arriving in the US and having the challenges of training for the olympics without her personal coach telling her exactly what to do for her warmup. She was used to taking direct orders, so to speak, and now was confused doing it on her own. She was inspired to start researching the brain and how it works. Her article discusses asking questions as the title states above. In it, she writes, “I believe it’s asking people the right questions, instead of telling them what to do, that creates success, that pushes people to be successful. Questions push people to figure out the answers on their own.”

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Summary

When it comes to inspiring people to be healthier by exercising, who don’t like to feel ordered to do it or who feel like you’re not happy with them the way they are, consider these things:

• How are we asking our questions.
• What are we modeling?
• Are we asking the right questions that let them figure things out on their own?
• Do we have patience with them if the are not ready to follow us?

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Thanks for reading!

After reading this finished article, my daughter said I should be a psychologist! (She may one day realize, I am practicing on her.) Love – Lisa

Yes! The truth is that by succeeding, even a little at a time, you will actually improve your health. If we really think about this, all the things we do are little successes. Isn’t arriving at work on-time a “little” success? How about remembering your best friend’s birthday, one day, each year? Those are examples of little, every-day successes. If we think of doing a “little” instead of taking on a “whole” task, we can take our time to get one of those little tasks or small chores done that keep “calling our name” and aggravating us every time we see it.  Here are some tips to create little-by-little successes in your life.

Pick Something Small To Accomplish – Today

Identify the little thing that finds you and begs for your attention. It seems to call out to you but it’s really you who is drawing, even pulled to focus on it. This is the thing that you seem to want to ignore, but it never lets you ignore it.  Your task shouldn’t be hard to find because it keeps popping it’s head up and finds you! “It” begs you to take care of it.

Make your schedule today and block out only the time you are willing to spend on one of those tasks; the earlier the better. Remember, even a little bit done is a little bit of success today.

If you have already accomplished a “calling your name project” today, then great!  Remember to celebrate the success! Say out loud, “I did it!”

If you have more time, such as during the Coronavirus and you are at home, you can make a phone call to someone and brighten their day.  The health benefits will do you both some good by boosting your endorphins. Endorphins are the brain chemicals that give you a feeling of happiness and well-being. When you feel happier, you want to do more. When you do more, you become more active. When you are more active, your body becomes healthier. By calling a friend, laughing with them and telling them you care, you actually help them and you help yourself to become healthier.

What Are The Health Benefits Of A “Little” Success

In an article written by, Family & Children’s Center, Celebrating Successes Brings Health Benefits, the writer states that people generally are, “more optimistic, take better care of themselves and tend to be less stressed. Celebrations (of little successes) increase people’s sense of well-being …”  The writer goes on to say that a longer effect of a sense of well-being, “will also lead to a new way of thinking — a way that recharges your batteries, that boosts your morale and your confidence and that carries you through to your next celebration.”

What I Personally Accomplished And How I Celebrated It

My “calling my name,” task today was setting up a computer!  I did not want to use much of my time, (it’s my daughter’s computer) but it’s the first thing I did today and I got it done.  Fewww. 

My Celebration Moment

Hooray for my little success! 

I feel relieved and satisfied that it’s done.

I am smiling.  

Now, I can go on to do more enjoyable things.

I feel happier because I accomplished one small thing today.

High-fives to you for your planned success today and for your better health to come in the future!

April, 2020, Lisa Ryan

If you enjoyed the tips and got something done today, let us know and leave a comment below. Do you know someone who needs tips like the ones written here? Click the share link to help out a friend… you just might have to celebrate a task completed!

Welcome to my site – Nice to meet you!