The Daily Grind

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As wedding planning rages on around me and I find myself coordinating the world’s greatest Windy City bachelorette party for my little sis, I struggle to find the time to exercise on a regular basis.

I am not an early bird, and there are days when I find myself crawling out of bed half an hour after my alarm began to sound. There’s barely time to let the dog out, much less take her for a walk. I keep telling myself that someday I’ll grow up and manage to function before 8 a.m., but that will not be my reality before the Big Day.

There’s always the possibility of working out during lunch, but I find that I am stuck between a rock and a hard place. If I really want to get in a great workout, I always want to include cardio. If I include cardio, my routine takes longer and I sweat like a fat kid in a candy shop. Because I end up so sweaty and have to go back to work, I have to take a shower, and an already long trip to the gym turns into two hours after my hair and makeup is done. I don’t know what your lunch break looks like, but mine is not two hours.

On the flip side, if I choose a shorter workout, only using the machines or working with weights, I find myself frustrated that I dragged myself to the gym for that. I stare longingly at the pristine row of treadmills, guilty that my sweat isn’t gracing the display panels. The dark side of my brain usually wins on these days, and I convince myself that I’ll get in my exercise when I get home and have the time I need to go all out. Why change and drive over to the gym if you’re not going to break a sweat?

By the time I get home at night, I’m generally exhausted, and usually find myself with different plans, especially with the wedding being right around the corner. Hobby Lobby has to be raided, dinner has to be cooked, invitations have to be addressed. I glare at my sneakers sitting next to the door and think, “I’ll work out twice as hard tomorrow.” Just like the country song, tomorrow never comes.

A couple weigh-ins ago, my trainer at Flex + Fit suggested I find creative ways to work out at my desk. Despite the convincing job that she did, the balance ball at my desk did nothing. I sat on it for hours without noticing anything but the way that my back and arms would hurt because it wasn’t quite tall enough. That was returned in less time than it took to deliver.

After several other botched attempts at inter-office exercising, I eventually did find some things that work.

The first: keeping a small set of dumbbells beneath my desk. 2.5 pounds a piece. When I’m reading over something, arm curls are happening out of sight. If I really start to feel adventurous during lunch time when no one’s watching, the routines get a lot more intense.

The second: leg weights. Yes, velcro around the ankles, working on my vertical jump leg weights. When I’m at my desk, I roll my chair back a little ways, strap those puppies on, and do alternating leg lifts until my legs are sore. Though I rarely wear pants at the office, you can bet they’d be on. Every little bit helps!

The third and the best so far: the resistance band, a rubber tube with handles on each end that can be held onto, stepped on, or attached to a door handle or chair leg. Using the resistance band, you can work against your own body weight or a stationary object to tone your muscles. It is more than possible to get your heart rate up enough to secure a decent fat burn while never leaving your desk.

Since my greatest objective in the Get Fit Challenge was to tone, I think I’m finally onto something that requires little-to-no time, little-to-no expense, and little-to-no effort. How many folks can say that about exercising?

If we ladies are creative enough when it comes to planning our weddings for one day of our lives, why can’t we extend the same thought processes to our health, longevity, and future?

No excuse, exercise like a champion!

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