As a certified personal trainer and fitness coach, I’m always surprised by how many people put in the effort to go to the gym regularly but never bother to make positive fitness adjustments in their daily lives.
Whether you’re trying to lose weight or build muscle to get more toned, there are some simple things you can do every day and every week to get you to your goals faster.
So, our team got together with five other personal trainers and two dietitians to come up with a list of fitness hacks that you can introduce right now.
Quick Summary
- Introducing fitness hacks can be as simple as walking more regularly throughout the day or planning for more regular bodyweight exercises at home.
- Even small changes that introduce more activity in 5-minute blocks can boost weight loss efforts within weeks.
- You should also take a careful look at what supplements you’re taking, as there are some that can help with your weight loss efforts.
9 Fitness Hacks
Here is a to-do list that you should keep somewhere convenient to take your weekly routine beyond just exercise and introduce more fitness hacks.
1. Start Doing an Interval Workout Routine
One of the biggest benefits of doing high-intensity interval training is that you can combine strength training like bicep curls and squats with cardio exercise movements to get a fully rounded workout [1].
You can find plenty of HIIT routines on our site or join a group class at a CrossFit gym.
It’s also a good idea to have a workout buddy to keep you honest and motivated.
Whether you go to the same gym or just hold each other accountable by having a quick phone conversation on the designated workout days, it’s a great way to stop talking yourself out of a workout.
“HIIT may provide the same health benefits as regular exercise in less time by helping increase calorie burn and reduce body fat, heart rate, and blood pressure.”
- Danielle Hildreth, RN, CPT
2. Adjust Your Daily Commute
For most people, their daily routine will involve getting up, sitting in a car, and driving to work.
And even if you live in a city and use public transport, you probably get off as close to work as possible.
Here’s my tip for you:
Instead of driving, figure out how you can use public transport.
Then walk to a further away stop and get off the bus, train, or subway one stop early.
This will force you to walk just a little bit further every day, and all those steps will help you burn off considerably more energy.
3. Walk Your Dog More Often
This is one of those healthy habits that your dog deserves.
I’m not a dog trainer, but I know from experience that when you exercise your dog more, they also become healthier and less hyper.
Whether you extend the existing walks by 10 or 15 minutes or add an additional short walk during the day, you’ll quickly realize that you’re clocking up a lot more steps.
You could even turn that walk into a light jog, and within 15 minutes, you could have an extra cardio workout added to your day.
4. Avoid Elevators
No matter what building I walk into, if there’s an elevator, there’s always a queue for it.
One of the simplest hacks for staying healthy involves avoiding the elevator, getting off a few floors early, and then walking a few flights of stairs.
It always surprises me how few people you’ll meet on the stairs. And when you do, they are typically doing it for the same reasons as you.
It’s a simple form of exercise that can quickly turn into a cardio session before you get to work.
5. Schedule Workouts For Certain Days And Times
You have to come up with a detailed workout plan and then stick with it.
Pick the days when you’re not as busy with work and family life, and then block time in your calendar. Whether that’s in the morning, lunchtime, or evening doesn’t matter.
You can even schedule some time while you’re watching TV. Either attach your tablet to a treadmill or plan to exercise during the commercial breaks.
With commercials making up about a quarter of the time you sit in front of a TV, that sedentary lifestyle can quickly become more active.
6. Track Your Fitness Progress
Many people set fitness goals and then never track and assess whether they are getting any closer.
What you should be doing is using different apps and smart wearable devices to track your fitness.
Whether it’s an Oura ring or an Apple Watch, you can track everything from your steps to workouts and your body temperature to when you fall asleep.
All this information can become a vital part of tracking your fitness, and it’s the kind of hack that doesn’t involve time and effort to take notes.
Related Articles:
- Recommended Fitness Tracker for CrossFit
- Recommended Fitness Tracker for Small Wrists
- Recommended Fitness Tracker for Cycling
7. Reward Yourself With New Workout Clothes
I meet too many people who simply pack the oldest t-shirts they can find, along with faded shorts and worn-out sneakers, in their gym bags.
And even if you’re not into fashion or spending a fortune on the latest gear, I recommend having some nice gym clothes.
One way you can do this is by giving yourself rewards. If you go to the gym three days a week for a month, you’ll buy new runners.
And after two months, you’ll buy a cool new T-shirt with matching shorts. It’s a great way to stay motivated and have a small reward at certain intervals.
8. Get Your Whole Family Fit
I can tell you from experience that when couples and children get involved in a fitness routine, the success rates skyrocket.
Even if you and your partner don’t have the same goals or training routine, you can become the intrinsic motivation you both need.
What you will notice is that you tend to encourage each other, and that motivation will then lead to more intense training [2].
Never underestimate the value of such external motivations. And you’ll be delighted to see your family members living a balanced lifestyle as well.
9. Learn Cooking New Healthy Meals
Most of the above tips are all about being active. But my dietitian always reminds me that 70% of weight loss and fitness happens in the kitchen.
What I encourage you to do is experiment once a week with a highly nutritious, healthy, and freshly prepared meal that you’ve never made before.
You won’t like all of them, but I guarantee that you’ll have at least a dozen delicious meals after six months, and you’ll look forward to eating them rather than turning your nose up at certain meals.
Collins Nwokolo, owner of the You Must Get Healthy blog, encourages you to try cooking at home as much as possible.
Doing so allows you full control of the ingredients and portion sizes of food — thus helping you eat a healthy and balanced meal.
If you learn new cooking techniques and experiment with different recipes, you can expand your palate and make healthy eating more enjoyable.
Learn more: Body Toning Workout Plans
Go Beyond a Tough Workout to Get Fit
Many people often think of way too complicated exercise hacks that become difficult to introduce throughout the day.
But in reality, lots of small changes will lead to big differences in your workouts, health, and even mood.
The other thing I would recommend you consider taking on a daily basis is a fat-burning supplement:
When you add one of these to your stack, the effects of the exercise hacks can be amplified, and you’ll find you burn a few more calories a day.
References:
- https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/high-intensity-interval-training
- https://ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1479-5868-7-7
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