Businessaire

Exercise. I know it’s one word that makes a lot of people cringe, and yes, I was one of them. With the ‘obesity epidemic’, it may seem that you’re being bombarded by everyone to get your butt moving – and I am one of those people. Now that I have started to pay tax, I feel it’s a personal issue; I don’t want my money wasted on fatties who can’t be bothered to put down the burger and get off the couch. I know what your probably thinking: “excuse me, I work days/nights in between going to uni, and trying to have a social life! Sometimes I don’t have time to sleep properly, and you want me to fit in exercise every day too? And I mean, it’s not like I’m fat.”

Reality check, just cause you don’t think your overweight doesn’t mean your in the clear – skinny people can be unhealthy too. You have probably heard it a thousand times but it’s true, everyone is given the same 24 hours in a day – it’s just how you choose to use it. If you can find the time to watch TV, chat on the phone, surf the net or read the paper, you can find time to exercise.

The ironic thing is that exercise actually boosts your energy and serotonin levels, letting you fit in exercise amongst everything else, feeling good at the same time. We all know the hardest aspect of anything in life is to get started – trust me I used to wonder how anyone could find the motivation to walk or run in the same spot for an hour- but exercise isn’t just about a treadmill.

There is so much choice – walking, running, cycling, yoga, pilates, circuit training, body step/attack/jam classes, heck there’s even pole dancing! So no more “I can’t afford a gym membership” excuse, just find something that’s fun and you will work harder at it. For those of you that have a gym card hanging off your key ring but can never find the motivation to go? Next time just tell yourself that you only have to do ten minutes, that’s it. That way you won’t be dreading the thought of an hour long workout at the gym. Once your up and moving at the gym it’s easier to tell yourself to just do another ten minutes. Just think how you will feel afterwards, oh and news flash – you don’t have to drag out your exercise for an hour, just build up the intensity. You have probably heard about “interval training” – basically it’s getting more out of your workout, in a shorter period of time. The University of New South Wales did a study on a group of people doing 8 seconds of sprinting on a bike, followed by 12 seconds of rest; continuing this for 20 minutes. This group lost three times as much fat as those who exercised at a continuous pace for 40 minutes! What’s even better is that your metabolism increases after exercise, so not only have you burned off calories in that step class, but you’ll keep burning calories even after you’ve stopped exercising. Bonus! So what are you waiting for? Get moving, if anything it will allow you to feel less guilty for having those Friday arvo drinks and late night kebab.

By Bianca Andrado
Social/ Lifestyle
Businessaire.com Team