Some Habits

We all have such busy schedules, sometimes, between work, school, the kids, the market, the cooking, taking time just for you body can be close to impossible. But staying healthy doesn't have to mean that you take time to go all the way to the gym and run on a treadmill for a half hour. While it is certainly important to try as hard as you can to take time and exercise, there are some small changes which can only help your path to health.

Walk a lot: If you drive, take a taxi, a tro tro, for even you very short trips then your are doing yourself a disservice. Not only are you spending on gas or on fares, but you stay seated all day. How far is work form you? Can you make the commute on foot? What about the market; isn't carry all those groceries home a work out? Maybe you can choose a longer route to walk if you have time, or time yourself and mark any improvements. When the commute is too far to walk, sometimes you can....

Bike: Especially in the suburbs, where things are more spread out than in Accra, and less traffic makes a ride much safer, biking can be a great alternative to the car. Its only fuel is your sweat. Put a basket or a rack on your bike and use it for your shopping; put another seat on it and pick up your kids, it can be fun and rewarding.

Stretch while you watching TV: If you spend just small snippets of time stretching every day, it takes so little work, and can be make you feel great if done consistently. Light stretching can improve your range of motion and blood circulation to your arms and legs. Whenever you're sitting around doing nothing with your body, whether at the office or in front of the TV just try and practice a couple stretches.

Play! I know you may feel silly, but it's great for your body just to move around, play football with your kids a little, maybe go out and catch a ball. Run around in a field. No kids? Do you have dogs? Play with them.

These are far from a work out routine, and I whole heartedly say that you need to try as hard as you can to make time for serious exercise. But  if you can take small steps and change your lifestyle such that it might involve more physical activities on the whole, it can do a world of good.