From Get More Done
If you believe the car commercials you see every day on television, the majority of us spend our weekends blazing through the hills, on the way to a day of bicycling, rock climbing, beach frolicking, picnicking, and generally being active. A look at the parking lot of the local mall come Saturday afternoon shows the reality.Our weekends have become a time of errands, shopping, and finishing up the work we didn't get to during the week. For too many of us, our spirit of adventure is being fulfilled by finding a great bargain at a store. And for parents, our thrill seeking is being fulfilled through our kids -- we shuttle them to and from their sports matches, and cheer from the sidelines.
It's time to reclaim our weekends -- or at least, a good-sized chunk of them. There is no better time for exercise and stress relief than a sunny Saturday afternoon outdoors. Here, then, are ways to sneak in some life-affirming weekend activity.
1. To determine the scope of your weekend hassles, keep a log of your activities this coming weekend. Jot them down in your day planner. Then, come Sunday night, take stock of the weekend that passed you by. Where did you spend your time? How can you cut back on those activities to make time for fun and fitness? You'll likely find that working, shopping, cleaning, cooking, and shuttling are dominating your weekend. Once you document what's chewing up your time, it gets easier to come up with a fix.
2. Shift weekend duties to weekday evening duties. There's no need to wait until the weekend to go to the supermarket, clean the house, or cut the lawn. Make Tuesday and Thursday evenings your "weekend duty" evenings and get the housework out of the way rather than sitting in front of the TV. This way, come the weekend, you'll have free days to do as you wish!
3. Designate each Thursday evening as the weekend planning time. Start by getting the weather report. Next, detail the "must do" stuff, such as attending church or taking your kid to a birthday party. Then, get creative and be bold by filling in the open space with great, refreshing activities. Work the phone -- make reservations, call friends or family for invitations. Too many of us enter the weekend without solid plans, and end up watching TV and baking cookies we don't really need.
4. If you must work, get it out of the way early. A good way to reclaim your weekend from your work is to get up an hour earlier than normal, set the alarm for two to three hours, work in a very focused manner, and then when the alarm rings, turn off the computer. The rest of the weekend is yours!
Create a Routine
5. Save enough money to hire a cleaning service. That way, you won't spend your weekends cleaning. Want to know how to fund it? Easy. Just cut out the little extras that cost you big bucks. For example, borrow videos from the library instead of renting them. Brew your own coffee instead of hitting Starbucks. Pack your lunch, color your own hair, cook your own gourmet dinner instead of heading to a restaurant. The sacrifices will be worth it when you walk into your home and see and smell the cleanliness. Now you have time to enjoy your weekend!6. Get out of bed at the same time as during the week. We often have great intentions to be active on the weekend -- that is, until we sleep in until noon. When you lose half the day to the covers, it's hard to find time for fun and exercise. Make it a habit to get out of bed the same time on weekends as during the week. In addition to freeing up more time for your weekend fitness forays, you'll also regulate your body clock better. Once your body gets used to a regular wake and sleep schedule, you'll fall asleep faster, feel more refreshed when you wake, and avoid that Monday morning "hungover" feeling.
7. Go for a walk first thing in the morning. Head out the door before the Sunday newspaper, rolls, and coffee. Walking first thing in the morning ensures you fit in your workout. Once you return, you'll feel invigorated and be more likely to move more during the rest of the day.
8. Make nature part of your weekend worship routine. For many of us, the great outdoors has a way of sparking our love of life and God. So don't limit the family ritual to a trip to the church or synagogue; add in a weekly family walk through the park or woods or desert, either before or after services. It will lift your heart, as well as exercise it!
9. Always commit one day to fun. Never, ever let errands and work spread to both Saturday and Sunday. Whether you live alone or with a family, pick one of those days and go to a water park, take a hike in the mountains, or spend the day playing softball, badminton, or other games in the backyard. You and your companions will soon look forward to this day, devoted not to formal exercise but to fun activities you can do together.
10. Match your time watching sports with playing sports. Too many men -- and women! -- have become addicted to watching sports on television. So we issue you this challenge: For every hour you watch sports on TV, commit to 30 minutes of doing a sport or some other exercise. Gradually increase the ratio to one-to-one; that is, an hour watching, an hour doing. For all the joys of major league sports, nothing compares to hitting a home run, scoring a goal, making a birdie, finishing the race, or winning the tennis match yourself.
Plan and Commit
11. Spiff up the yard -- manually. Many types of yard work, from leaf raking to garden digging to mowing, build upper body strength and burn excess calories. In fact, one major study found that gardening was the best physical activity for preventing osteoporosis. And don't make it too convenient for yourself. Physically rake the leaves rather than using a leaf blower. Use a push mower rather than a self-propelled one. The more you use your own body, the more calories you'll burn. As an added bonus, you can feel good knowing that the less you use gas-powered equipment, the less pollution you've released into the air.12. If you cycle, go for a long ride. During the week you probably can't ride much, but weekends allow you the luxury of riding for half the day or more, if you're so inclined. Scout out a local route or put the bike in the car and drive to a great riding location. Bring along plenty of food and stash it in your bike jersey. Take some cash as well. You never know when you'll ride past a bagel or coffee shop and want to take a pit stop.
13. Join a club. Many outdoors organizations, such as the Audubon Society and Sierra Club, sponsor group hikes and other outings on the weekends. You need only show up with food and water, and your guide will take you on a half-day to full-day excursion. In fact, there are surprisingly large numbers of walking, biking, bird-watching, or running clubs in most areas that have regular weekend events. Fitness centers and regional parks are a great place to start your search for the right one for you.
14. Make a list of weekend fitness activities and choose one activity from the list every weekend. The more varied your weekend fitness routine, the more likely you'll stay active on the weekends. On your list, you might write hiking, canoeing, walking, cycling, bird-watching and other activities.
15. Keep a fitness kit in your car. Stock your car with a volleyball, soccer ball, baseball and mitts, basketball, or other favorite fitness items. Make sure to include a pair of sneakers. You never know when you'll find yourself away from home with a little downtime. If your fitness kit is stocked and ready, you'll have everything you need for fun.
16. Train for a race. Whether you walk, run, cycle, or do some other sport, signing up for a race will give you the incentive to train on the weekends. Suddenly fitness becomes the top priority in your life. Plus, this is what serious athletes do -- complete their longer workout sessions on the weekends, when they have time away from work.
17. Take calisthenics breaks. If you find yourself working at the office (or in your home office) over the weekend, take a 10-minute break every hour and do jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups, and crunches. Over the course of the day, you'll have exercised for more than 60 minutes -- and finished that big project on time.
Make Like a Kid
18. Combine physically active work with pure indulgence. For instance, split some wood or gather kindling in the woods as the physical activity part of your day, then sit in front of the fire with someone special for the pure indulgence part. Or clean up the yard by day, and have a barbecue that evening. Or take a long hike, and have a wonderful picnic basket waiting for you in the car.19. If your kids play sports, coach or assist their team. Instead of spending the weekend with your butt glued to the driver's seat of your car as you shuttle your kids from one activity to another, join them. Sign up to coach their Little League, soccer, or swim team. Or help manage things along the sidelines. It'll get you out of the car and you'll exercise all parts of your body -- and soul.
20. Take the family to the mall and powerwalk as your spouse and kids get their shopping done. Just because everyone else wants to shop all day doesn't mean you have to forgo exercise. Bring your cell phones and watches. When you get to the mall, split up, agreeing to meet in a certain spot at a certain time. You walk loops through the mall as your spouse and kids do their shopping.
21. Keep a Frisbee in your car in case of emergency. No matter where you find yourself, you can always play a game of Frisbee golf -- assuming you have a Frisbee with you. You don't need a fancy Frisbee golf course to play. Just designate your own targets. Pick out 18 trees, telephone poles, and other targets. Whoever hits all the targets in the least amount of throws wins.
22. Be one of the kids. Don't just push them out the door and spend the afternoon inside reading or cleaning. Join them. Find a tall tree and climb it with them. Play a friendly game of hoops in the driveway. Spend the day skating or cycling or playing tag. After all, even if our bodies are aging, we all have a some childishness inside us, still aching to get out.
23. Take the family camping. There's nothing quite like the great outdoors to put your body in a calorie-burning state, or to create happily memorable times for your kids. After you've pitched your tent, built your campfire, and secured your site, you can look into other activities such as swimming, canoeing, and hiking. Yes, it is worth all the hassle.