Lazy Day: How to Sneak In Fitness When You Don’t Feel Like It

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“Health is the thing that makes you feel that now is the best time of the year.” – Franklin Pierce Adams

A lazy day sounds like something to look out for and avoided because of the concept of ‘lazy’ we have grown up with. But it’s, in fact, crucial for our wellbeing and has lots more to it than just waddling about in your pajamas – tumbled hair, floppy slippers and all.

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What is lazy day

You know the feeling when you’d much rather call in a sick-day, not because of some complication at work but simply because you don’t feel like it? Well, that’s an indication that your body is asking for a lazy day to just relax, recover, & recharge.

It’s normal to lose track of your health when you get super busy with all the obligations, duties & commitments.

It’s simply called a lazy day because having a whole unscheduled day where you’re doing nothing visibly productive might seem like you’re wasting time & just being lazy. But the truth is, taking time out to recharge is crucial when it comes to staying productive.

I really like how Anne Lamott puts it – “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.”

Related:

Self-care tips: how to take awesome care of yourself

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Is it OK to have a lazy day

It’s not only OK but even important that you take a break and enjoy your lazy day, relaxation day, or whatever-you-feel-comfortable-calling-it day. Why? Here are 3 reasons that will help you get over the guilt of ‘wasting time when there’s so much to do’ and actually enjoy your down-time.

1. Crucial to remain functional

1Unstructured time to just relax and do nothing visibly productive is sometimes actually crucial for us to remain productive. It helps maintain the balance between work & enjoying the benefits that work brings you.

This is important for staying motivated because our brain works better in an action-&-reward setting. You really need to restore your energy to keep working at the pace you do.

2. Important for stress management

Stress is a constant in our life whenever we have to deal with other people. And as humans are social beings, that’s unavoidable. Our body’s stress response is triggered every time we worry about something. Now that’s normal & good for survival.

But if it doesn’t get time to return to a relaxed state later, we end up with chronic stress. This is one of the things that trigger a lot of health issues related to heart, nervous system, blood pressure & so on.

An occasional lazy day gets our body back to its original state of relaxation, helping develop resilience to stress.

3. Official Lazy Day

It’s important enough to spread awareness about and even has a designated holiday. August 10th is the official Lazy Day.

Related:

5 realistic & effective coping strategies for stress

Relaxation techniques: Fun Stress Relief activities

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Fitness tips for the don’t-feel- like-exercising lazy day

We all have days when you just don’t feel like doing anything, not even getting out of your PJs, right? It might be after following a very hectic schedule or because nothing exciting, different or special happened for a while. 

But, that doesn’t mean we should also stop taking care of our health. Even a little bit of effort can keep the momentum up if you’ve decided to build a daily exercise habit – a very good & popular resolution but one that is the easiest to get squashed.

So, here are some ideas that will add a dash of fitness to an otherwise lazy day. The list starts with the one requiring least bit of energy & effort, ending with fun & enjoyable one that you might need a little bit of motivation to begin.

1. Exercise your eyes

While choosing any exercise routine, eyes are the most easily forgotten body part. So, relaxed breaks offer you the perfect chance to include them in your fitness focus. You can try out these 3 simple eye exercises that you can do without even moving your head. Can’t get more lazy day friendly, can it?

Without moving your head, look from your left to front and then to the right side. Trace back the route with your eyes ending on the left side. Repeat 10-15 times. Now, close your eyes and relax for at least a minute.

Here’s another one. Try blinking rapidly 10 times. Now close your eyes and relax for 30 seconds. Repeat 5 to 6 times.

Also, rolling your eyes about 2 to 3 times with closed eye relaxation for about 30 seconds between repetitions is also a good eye exercise. Repeat about 3 times. If you have a couple of self-praising co-workers or friends, rolling your eyes shouldn’t be much of an effort : )

2. Breathing exercises

Whatever you might not be doing on your lazy day, breathing surely isn’t one of those things. So simply control & modulate how you breathe to get some extra mileage on your fitness journey without actually leaving the comfort of your bed.

If you would like to know how to do some simple breathing exercises easy enough for beginners, check out this other post on my blog. Some of these also help with quick symptom control for certain health conditions.

Modulated controlled breathing routines help rejuvenate our body from within while also being very relaxing at the same time. However, these are most effective when done on a regular basis.

Related:

How to Get Restful Sleep – Improved Mental and Physical Health

Finding Happiness: 5 Ways Laughter Helps Your Body, Mind & Soul

Treatment of asthma: 5 absolutely effective tips for natural asthma prevention

3. Simple stretching exercises for a lazy day

Surya namaskar is one of the simplest and best stretching exercises in yoga. As it doesn’t include any strenuous actions and can be done in a reasonable amount of space, it is ideal for your lazy day too.

This routine is easy to master, takes barely any time and works up your entire body. Keep in mind to exhale while standing straight or bending. Inhale in the stretching poses.

4. Pressure points

Knead with moderately digging fingers the palm and fingertips of your hands one at a time. Do this for the soles of your feet too for about 2 minutes each. Don’t put too much pressure that it starts to hurt or tires you out.

The palms and soles of our hands and feet have loads of nerve endings and pressure points. Putting the right amount of pressure, massaging will increase your sense of mental as well as physical wellbeing when done on a regular basis.

Every little step counts when it comes to putting ‘healthy’ back in your everyday life. You can even keep an acupressure wooden ball or a squeezey ball handy. Work on it lazing about, stuck in the traffic, waiting in a queue or just thinking your plans through… it rhymes too : )

5. Doorway shoulder stretches

We do go through doorways many times a day, even if it’s only the bathroom door, right? : ) So why not use that moment to add some fitness to your lazy day!

Stand in the doorway with your forearms rested on the frame. Bend your elbows to 90 degrees so that your fingers are facing up to the ceiling. Elbows should be in line with the shoulder. Slowly step forwards until you feel your chest muscles stretching. Hold for 30 seconds. Step back. Repeat 3 times.

It’s a good workout for chest & shoulder muscles. This exercise helps reduce aches & pains caused by poor posture.

Related:

Posture – How to Improve it for Enhanced Wellness

6. Relaxed swimming

Sometimes simply the monotony of routines & dealing daily with those little stressors can force us to take a lazy day off. Take a refreshing plunge in your nearest pool. Don’t challenge yourself but simply enjoy the relaxing feel of water. Take easy strokes with relaxed back floats between laps.

Though not nearly as much a calorie burner as say a jog, a relaxed swim will work wonderfully on your energy reserve. It will relax and recharge you to face the day with more pep and gusto.

7. Walk your dog on a lazy day

I know, this sounds like a chore especially when you aren’t in the mood to put your shoes on and hit the outdoors. But, the fresh air outside and energy of your furry pal can be quite a contagious mood-lifter.

Even though you might start out half-heartedly, walking generates happy hormones in our brain. This’ll gradually make you enjoy your outing better.

Else, take your pet to the dog park and spend some time outdoors. Whatever your pace be, it would certainly rate better on the fitness scale than pottering about at home! And don’t forget the fresh air & change of location.

Related:

How to Pep Up and Infuse Zest in Your Life

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Fitness tips to sneak in some exercise on a lazy-for-fitness day

I know crazy busy day sounds like something totally different from a lazy day, but here’s how I see it. What’s your fitness score on a super busy day? My guess, zilch, no time for it, not feeling like it, or “I’d be happy just to survive this day” : )

So when it’s a ‘low on energy for fitness’ situation on an otherwise killing-me kind of day, these tweaks to the usual routine can help you stay healthy without added effort.

1. Desk exercise routines

Search on the internet with ‘desk exercise routine’. Select a few that focus on the neck, shoulders, back & legs if you are mostly deskbound at your workplace.

Save these on your phone to refer back whenever needed. If they are too embarrassing to be done in front of your colleagues, try them out on your washroom break time.

Related:

Posture- How to Improve it for Enhanced Wellness

2. Take the stairs

There’ll always be things that can’t wait. But so can’t your health!

Having to make runs to different departments on different floors? Take the stairs. Going to get some coffee? Skip the lift. Stepping out during lunch break? Guess what! Take the stairs.

I think you get the idea, right? Even if there are only escalators available, no one stopped you from walking up those.

It’d add great cardio workout without any break in your busy schedule.

3. Get creative

Instead of revolving around in your chair and reaching for that file, why not get up and pick it up? Be mindful of your posture whenever you can remember. Better still, put a ‘Don’t Slouch’ reminder on your desk.

Massage your fingertips while reading mails or thinking out your plan.

4. Eye exercises

You might probably have noticed that when we have to look at something, we rather tend to turn our head more rather than the eyes, right? It gets worse if your workplace has a swiveling chair because then you mostly end up not bothering the neck at all. Just swirl around. It’s fun too. But, is it healthy?

Make a point to move your eyes more than using your neck to turn & look. If you can look at something without turning your head, then by all means do that. Practice rolling your eyes when on a bathroom break. Think of a bragging colleague or friend, and it’ll become easier : )

These simple changes will give your optical muscles some extra workout, keep cataracts away longer, and save you the possibility of a neck spasm, win-win.

Related:

5 Easy Ways to Add a Twinkle to Your Eyes

5. Breathing exercises

Have you ever noticed how sometimes when too busy, we barely breathe without even realizing it until you take the next big breath? This can affect our efficiency & health in the long run.

Every couple of hours or so during the day, remember to take long slowly drawn breaths, stop for a couple of seconds & release it slowly. Repeat at least 5-6 times. Even if you can’t sit in a calm, quiet place, just do it wherever you are. Five-six breaths don’t take long, do they?

Regular modulated breathing exercises have loads of health benefits like improved oxygenation, improved health of internal organs, reduced risk for many illnesses, and so on. They can also help you calm down, reduce stress or anxiety very quickly.

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So you see how getting creative with our usual activities can squeeze in fitness even when all you want to do is enjoy your lazy day? It keeps the momentum up because making an effort to maintain our wellbeing is as non-negotiable as breathing or having a meal every day.

Staying healthy is a choice and can be turned into an effortless habit with some simple tweaks to your approach to fitness.

How do you sneak in some ‘healthy’ on a lazy day? What do you love to do that you think can substitute your exercise routine when you simply don’t feel like it?

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