Turning Idle Time Into Idol Time
 

2:30 am and my two-week old son is still thinking it's 2:30 pm. Tired Daddy, now on his third hour of cradling, feeding, burping, changing and praying is hoping sleep is close at hand. As I rock him in the glider, my eyes growing heavy and his open wide, I begin to realize that some portions of these past hours spent rocking back and forth could have been better utilized. I stand up with him nestled in my arms, bend my knees, tighten my abs and perform a series of twelve squat exercises. While not yet able to smile, his curious eyes show a sense of amusement to the ride Daddy has just given him. I and my seven pound, four ounce bundle of joy move to lunges, then to exercises that work the chest, the arms. All of a sudden, I realize fifteen minutes have quickly passed. My son's eyes begin to grow tired and I place him gently in his crib. Knowing that he's often quick to wake back up, I decide to remain in his room and complete some sets of core exercises - strengthening my abs and back. At the end of my final set, I quietly glance into his crib, he's comfortably and soundly asleep...for at least a few hours!

As a personal trainer, I'm always looking for great ways to incorporate wellness into the lives of my clients. Why limit calorie expenditure sessions to those moments on a treadmill or performing a dumbbell curl when our days are filled with tons of idle minutes wasted - times where we'd rather have something occupying our time? Take brushing your teeth, for example. It's something we each do - every morning and every night (I hope.) Dentists tell us to spend two minutes brushing each time we pull out that toothbrush. So, one arm actively moves back and forth and up and down while the rest of our body we stands idle as we stare at our image in the mirror. Aha - no additional motivation needed! Let's take that idle time and put that body to work. One set of twelve squats while brushing (spit when needed) followed by a set of lunges. Add a set of calf raises if you floss! Wasted time brushing now spent each day actively developing and firming your butt, thighs and legs. Not a bad deal, huh?

Find similar idle minutes throughout your day - such as time spent watching television. What's the point of being idle while watching 'Idol'? Put those idle times to work for you. Pretty soon, you'll idolizing the new you in the mirror!