Insider Finance - Business - Insider Today: Hack your daily workout

October 7, 2023 • 5 min read

with Diamond Naga Siu

It’s the weekend, friends! I grew up in Los Angeles and never thought twice about visiting San Bernardino County. But I’m keen to visit now that I learned Loma Linda — a city within the county — is considered one of the world’s five Blue Zones, meaning the people there tend to live to around 100 years old.

Speaking of staying healthy, for the big story today, experts shared how to best incorporate workouts when you have a busy schedule.

What’s on deck

But first, let's get physical.

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The big story

Workout smarter, not harder

Staying active with a busy schedule can be tough. But it doesn’t have to amount to spending hours at the gym.

I chatted with experts about their top tips for busy people trying to maintain a healthy workout schedule.

Lower your expectations and barriers to exercising

“There's absolutely zero benefit in doing an exercise program for two weeks and then quitting for three months,” Rob Newton, a professor of exercise medicine at Edith Cowan University in Australia, told me.

“You're just going to be sore and sorry, and it's not really going to benefit your health or fitness terribly much,” he added.

Instead, staying consistent is more important. That can look like taking the stairs instead of the elevator or parking a little further away.

Oscar Wong/Getty Images

Break up your workout

“People who are bad at time management — which is generally all of us — they think, ‘Oh, I don't have 30 minutes or one hour of my schedule,’ but I guarantee you have five minutes every hour,” Phil Catudal, a personal trainer, told me.

That could mean doing strength training (like 10 squats, 10 pushups, and two pull-ups) for five minutes every hour of the workday. By the end of the day, you’ll have worked out for more than half an hour through these “trigger workouts.”

It might not be as effective as working out for 30 minutes straight, but it’s only a marginal difference, Catudal said. Plus, it keeps your body on track and gives you a shot of dopamine, a chemical released in the brain that helps people feel pleasure.

The power of walking

“We don't tend to think of walking because it feels easy,” Gabby Landsverk, Insider's senior health, nutrition, and fitness reporter, told me. “But there's a lot of evidence that that's actually one of the best ways to get started with exercise and start to see benefits like more energy, lower risk of illness, better heart health, things like that,” 

Even walking for 10 minutes during your lunch break or before or after work can be a huge first step in fitting some fitness into your life.

“If you have 30 minutes?” Catudal said. “Man, you can totally change your life, your health, your body. So don't discredit the little things.”

3 things in

Travel

Photo12/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

1. Photos show Hong Kong’s floating village that no longer exists. It was once home to 150,000 people. They lived on small, flat-bottomed wood boats about 4.5 to 7 meters long. Residents also had to deal with typhoons, massive swells, and fishing accidents.

2. “I've visited over 100 food markets in all 50 states — here are my favorites.” This travel-show host enjoys visiting Union Market in Washington, DC, for its Middle Eastern and African food. He also thinks the Riverfront Market in Wilmington, Del., is great for its Thai and Peruvian dishes.

3. Beep beep: A full look at Ford’s fanciest electric truck. The $98,000 F-150 Lightning Platinum is packed with comfort features, including an 18-speaker sound system and leather seats. It’s also freakishly powerful and quick.

3 things in

Careers

Chelsea Jia Feng/Insider

1. “I don’t see a way up” — assistants feel like traditional pathways for career progression in Hollywood are broken. Cost cuts and other industry disruptions have stalled the careers of assistants at companies like Netflix and Disney. The promise of becoming a junior creative executive after a few years as an assistant seems to have vanished.

2. Sharing at work can be good. Oversharing isn’t. Many people enjoy sharing stories about their lives with coworkers. But it can be too much if you drone on about your kids or talk about things like sex.

3. Freelancers reveal how they use AI to save time and make more money. The technology helps them get through their tasks easier. A blogger uses it to help generate ideas, while a couple utilizes AI to write their nonfiction e-books.

3 things in

Life

Apple Towing Co.

1. Feds are auctioning off a YouTuber’s prized car collection while he’s in prison. The vehicles include a Power Rangers-themed Lamborghini, a 1996 Chevrolet Impala SS, and a 2020 Audi R8 V10.

2. What you need to know about Amazon Prime Day 2023. “Prime Big Deal Days” is a warm up to Black Friday. And it’ll feature deals across categories for the 48-hour sale. Some teasers include getting GrubHub+ for free and $15 in Amazon credit for using the Photos app.

3. The history and rise of Birkenstocks as the company moves toward going public. US hippies originally wore the comfortable, cork-sole sandals in the ‘60s and ‘70s. But it’s now transformed into a wardrobe staple.

In other news

Brooks Kraft LLC/Corbis via Getty Images

For your bookmarks

Aldi budget finds

These are 17 of the best things to get at Aldi this month, under $6. The Specially Selected brioche and Priano Alfredo-stuffed gnocchi are among the best in the list.

The Insider Today Saturday team

Diamond Naga Siu, senior reporter, in San Diego. Dan DeFrancesco, senior editor, in New York City. Hallam Bullock, editor, in London. Lisa Ryan, executive editor, in New York City.

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insidertoday@insider.com

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