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Healthy exercises for couch potatoes are just what the doctor ordered for the lazy-but-keen of you who want to get yourself into some semblance of fitness, but don’t want to do anything that remotely resembles “exercises” in any way, shape or form! So here at Health Image is the second part in this mini series that aims to tempt you off your sofa and doing something constructive for your health!

Ok, last time I began by showing you a simple exercise technique that you can do at your desk while at work and no one even need know you are doing it. How easy it is to lead a health lifestyle when you know some of the short cuts! Let’s get straight into Exercises For Couch Potatoes Part 2.

Of course the whole strategy with these exercises for couch potatoes here is not to over-exert yourself as having spent a long time of inactivity you wouldn’t want to do yourself an injury by pulling a muscle or something, no would you?

So lets go nice and slowly here and stay with the theme of getting in some sneaky exercises for couch potatoes whilst at your desk at work without anyone else having to know about it!

Sit up straight in your chair and plant your feet firmly flat on the ground in front of you. Yes, you do have to uncross your legs, by the way! Now this one’s easy, but don’t do too many repetitions of this or you’ll wear yourself out too quick.

Ok, now lift your legs up so your feet raise up just two or three inches above the floor and hold that position until you can feel the beginnings of tightness in your stomach muscles. Then release and return your feet to the floor and relax. Do that a few times a day and you’ll soon notice a difference in the tightness of your tummy – great for getting rid of podgy bellies and love handles!

So you see, exercises for couch potatoes needn’t be strenuous or boring or even obvious to yoru fellow workers as you can do them quickly and easily without even getting up out of your chair!

I have to point out here that these exercises for couch potatoes are meant to be for minor muscle toning only and not to be confused with a full blown workout which is what you’ll need to build up to if you want to get really fit. But its a start and totally better than nothing at all.

What better way to a healthy lifestyle?

Terry Didcott
Health Image

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Healthy exercises for couch potatoes may sound like some really easy things to get on with, but I thought it would be a nice chill out here at Health Image after four chapters of healthy eating. The last post wrapped that up for now, but I’ll be going back to it in the near future as there are plenty of good foods that we can include in out diets that will help us to maintain a good health image of ourselves while promoting fitness and a healthy lifestyle.

So now I reckon it’s a very good idea to get completely back on topic of the healthy lifestyle and write about something healthy by commencing this mini series on exercises for couch potatoes! First of all, if you don’t know what a couch potato is, its just a nickname for someone who spends far too long lounging on a couch or sofa, usually glued to the television and doing zero exercise whilst eating all the wrong foods.

Here, I’ll look at some more fitness techniques the certified couch potato can engage in to at least get some blood pumping around the lazy body and maybe even improve some muscle tone into the bargain.

So lets incorporate some fitness measures into your daily working routine, assuming you are sitting at a desk probably in front of a computer like I am right now with the first of my exercises for couch potatoes.

You know you should take breaks to give your eyes a rest from the screen and allow your limbs to move a little, so if you feel silly getting up and walking around the office – which by the way is always a good idea just to keep the circulation going – you can do some exercises sitting right there art your desk and your colleagues need never know you are… exercising!

Sit straight up in your chair and place your hands upturned under your desk so that you can still see the “heel” of your palms. Then with your forearms approximately horizontal, press upwards for several seconds then release. Do this one of my exercises for couch potatoes as many times as you’re comfortable with remembering to relax after each exertion and you’ll tone up your upper arm muscles as well as burn off many more calories than you would have done had you sat there and did nothing!

So that’s the first of my easy exercises for all you couch potatoes.

Brilliant!

Terry Didcott
Health Image

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Lets get straight on with the follow-up from the last article here at Health Image and continue talking about healthy exercise in this second part as we carry on with some more great fitness ideas to get your body moving and those fat cells burned off!

We’ll assume you found some Tai Chi classes and have given that a go and we’ll also assume you surprised yourself by actually enjoying it! If not, then at least you’re keeping up with the daily walks and getting your limbs moving. If that’s the case, then you’ll need to start thinking about doing some more light exercise to start burning off the excess fat.

There’s nothing like aerobic type exercises for fat-busting, so either join an aerobics class for beginners, or you can set yourself up some simple aerobic exercises you can do at home.

The main thing to be aware of is that you should always start slow and build up little by little. One of the best forms of simple aerobic exercise is running up and down stairs. Now this is something you can do at home and not look like a jerk, right?

Simply start at the bottom of your home’s staircase (assuming you have one, of course) and then run up to the top. If that gets you out of breath, then stop and rest until you have your breath back, then turn around and run down again. Not too fast, just at a doable pace that is comfortable for you. If you can handle repeating that, then do it. If you feel all wobbly legged and fatigued, then rest and don’t try it again until tomorrow.

If you still have some energy and want to do something else, then take a fairly heavy chair in your sitting room and push it a few feet in one direction and then push it back again. That will force muscles in both your arms, legs and torso to fire up and do some strenuous work in short, manageable bursts. Only do that as many times as you’re comfortable with, then take a rest.

That’s it for starters.

By the way, one important thing you must remember to do whenever you exercise and get out of breath is to relax afterwards and drink some water. Any strenuous exercise will begin to dehydrate you as you sweat, so you MUST replace it with straight water – NOT fizzy soda or coke or anything like that – not even those sugary isotonic sports drinks – it has to be pure still water.

The reason for that is a whole article on its own! I’ll cover that soon.

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Here at Health Image I’m going to follow up from my last article where I looked at how eating the right foods is of huge importance to getting and remaining healthy. In this article I’ll look at the benefits of healthy exercise as a means of not only getting healthy but also aiding any weight loss program you might either be on or may be thinking about.

To enjoy a healthy lifestyle then we need to look at some healthy fitness tips to get you into good condition, especially if you’ve been neglecting yourself a little!

You have to start somewhere, so start slow and gradually build yourself up over a period of time, because if you try to go too fast too soon, you’ll end up doing more harm than good.

So start your daily exercise routine by getting out of bed and stretching! If you don’t already do that – and many of us don’t – then spend a minute or two just stretching your arms into the air taking a few deep breaths and stretch!

That kick-starts your cardiovascular system and loosens up your muscles after the inactivity of your nights sleep. Then once you’re dressed and ready, instead of heading for the sofa with the TV remote and a box of chocolates or whatever, go outside and walk somewhere.

Doesn’t matter where you go, just walk around the block or if there is a park nearby take a walk around that. It doesn’t have to be for a long time either, just whatever you are comfortable with in order to get yourself moving.

That’s it for starters.

Do that every day and you’ll start feeling better already. Your walks will begin to get a little longer each day and you’ll find your step picking up as you get used to it.

Well, I never said I was going to be a slave driver! The whole way to fitness is to take it slow and steady and build up to the harder stuff as your body gets ready for it.

So lets move on a little and assume you’ve been at this for a little while now.

Now that you’re walking out more and your muscles are beginning to tone up through this light form of exercise, you can begin to compound the effect by deliberately walking faster, so that the initial stroll becomes a more determined walk.

Let’s face it, for someone for whom regular exercise doesn’t hold any excitement, the thought of doing regular gym-like repetitions of things is simply something for other people to do. So what can you do to tone your muscles up that doesn’t involve throwing weights around or doing those horrible sit-ups?

Well more sedate options are available and one of the best and most relaxing forms of exercise is Tai Chi. This oriental form of exercise involves little more than slowly moving through a series of body movements that has the double effect of toning your muscles, improving your balance and relaxing you all at the same time.

If you check out the local Yellow Pages or your local sports centre, you’ll most likely find some Tai Chi classes locally that you can attend as little or as often as you like. Give it a try – it beats pumping iron in a gym – unless you want to do that of course!

That’s it for this instalment. I’ll continue in a similar vein in the next post.

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