Make the most of your morning commute with these five exercise ideas.
Okay, we get it, you’re tired, you’re working hard, you have no time to exercise. No one wants to come home from a long day of work and actually drag themselves to the gym. Luckily for you we have a better idea—an exercise regime for people who spend all their time (sadly) in an office or public transport. The dead eyes of your fellow passengers who haven’t stocked up on their oatie energy, the slack jaws and Metros surrounding you—exercise might even seem like the fun option.- Sit with good posture. Okay, this one isn’t really an exercise, but it’s an essential move that will strengthen abdominal muscles and prevent spinal injury. Try scooting all the way back in your seat so that your spine is straight flush against the attractive felt of your train seat. Or, if you’re the unfortunate soul standing up, make sure to push your pelvis forward and keep your shoulders back and straight, your chin level with the floor. Trust us, you’ll feel it.
- Ab contractions. Try this while also practicing good posture for a double whammy on your abs. Contract your abs for three seconds, and release. Repeat until you can’t anymore, or until you finally get to work.
- Stand on one leg. That’s right, channel your inner flamingo. It sounds idiotic, but sitting down all the time is awful for your body. Try standing up on the tube, or if you’re at a bus stop alternate standing on one leg and squeezing your glutes. Engage your core and hold as still as possible for as long as you can. Don’t worry, you can do this one subtly, we’ve tried.
- Car stretches. You can try this one on public transport but you won’t be making any friends. Push your hands up towards the roof of car over your head and push for ten seconds, engaging your abs. This one will strengthen both your back and your abs as well as giving your tired muscles a nice stretch in the bleary dawn.
- Hover your feet. When sitting down, lift your feet just off the floor. This will force your spine to straighten, engaging your abs and also force your thighs and glutes into action.