Joakim Christoffersson - Nano Workouts: Get in Shape and Lose Weight During Everyday Activities

Text and Illustrations Copyright 2013 Joakim Chistoffersson. Design Copyright 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Published in the United States by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-205-2

Library of Congress Control Number 2013931799

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions: Keith Riegert

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Bill Cassel

Proofreader: Lauren Harrison

Design and layout: what!design @ whatweb.com

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Please Note

This book has been written and published strictly for informational purposes, and in no way should be used as a substitute for actual instruction with qualified professionals. The author and publisher are providing you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status and to consult health care professionals before beginning any health program.

Contents

Contents

When I left my safe and secure 9-to-5 corporate job to start my own company, I also said goodbye to fixed hours and easy access to gym facilities. What happened next is what happens to most entrepreneurs: I became CEO, CFO, secretary, janitor, and everything in between. I was inundated with work and suddenly found myself with no time to exercise. My personal maintenance was deprioritized and my life became a series of never-ending to-do lists.

I have always worked out in one way or another. I have a competitive background in jiu-jitsu and played handball at a fairly high level; Ive been a runner and kicked ass in Muay Thai; and Ive been involved in table tennis, swimming, and kickboxing. But after a few hectic months of relentless hard work, I realized that I was spending most of my time in front of a computer, and I couldnt see that changing anytime soon. It was time to activate the creative part of my brain and come up with a solution before things got out of hand.

During my corporate life, I had often done exercises while on endless conference calls. I found that even though I was working, I could simultaneously get in some physical exercise. Sure, my colleagues sometimes thought I looked funny when I did push-ups while wearing a headset, but Ive never really cared about that. Exercise is exercise, and if they wanted to sit back and watch their bellies grow, that was their problem and not mine.

I started to wonder if I could take this multitasking idea and expand it to all areas of my workday. If so, what exercises would match up with what situations? I now analyzed all the work-related tasks I found myself in, trying to come up with different ways to customize an exercise for each distinct situation. These multitasking sessions were the beginning of Nano Workouts.

I began adding more exercises to my extended workday and was pleased to see that my fitness improved. My Nano Workouts were paying off. I started to create a basic list of exercises one could do throughout the workday. As my notes grew, I enlisted my good friend (and workout enthusiast) Ola Gribbling to help structure and expand the list. Two years later, I cant remember the last time I was in such good shape. I should probably also add that I have a full-time job and run a business on the side. I have a jam-packed schedule but now I know how to manage my time and find small gaps in my day for Nano Workouts.

JOAKIM CHISTOFFERSSON

The biggest battle you have to win if youre going to achieve a healthy lifestyle is without a doubt the mental one. Old habits are hard to break, but at the same time, you cant change your lifestyle overnight. Change must be allowed to take its time.

If you jump straight from a sedentary lifestyle into a highly active life you risk injury and/or burnout. Take your time and think long-term. Dont exercise to get in shape for the next swimsuit season, but make small incremental changes so you can be sure you can maintain an active lifestyle for a long time to come.

ATTITUDE

Although the battle is in your mind, the way to win it is to get your body moving. Start by always taking the stairs, no matter whateven when carrying heavy groceries. Taking the stairs once wont make any difference but when added up over the course of a year it will really count for a lot. Make this your first mental victory: You are suddenly the kind of person who takes the stairs instead of the elevator. Elevators are for lazy people. Continue this train of thought and make small changes wherever possible; park your car farther away from your destination than necessary or get off the bus a stop earlier. Make sure you never sit passively in front of a desk for more than one hour at a time. Enjoy that you do these small things. These are your victories and you are winning the battle for your health.

LONGEVITY

In 2004, author Dan Buettner, together with National Geographic and the National Institute on Aging, set out to find out why people in some geographical areas live longer than others. They identified five places in different areas of the world where people for some reason live longer than elsewhere. They called these places Blue Zones.

What they found was quite surprising. One of the characteristics these long-living people have in common is that they dont exercise. Well, they do exercise, but not for the sake of exercise the way we tend to. Working out is built into their way of life and the environment they live in encourages an active lifestyle. Exercise for these people is working in the garden, riding their bike to visit a friend, walking up stairs, chopping wood, and so on. Exercise is moderate, but constant.

Now you probably dont live on a mountaintop in Greece with a flock of sheep, so their way of life cant really be applied to yours. But the basic principle can, and its this idea on which Nano Workouts are based: Work out a little at a time, but as often as possible.

If you want to learn more about the Blue Zone project you can read Dan Buettners book The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Whove Lived the Longest.

CHALLENGES OF TRADITIONAL WORKOUTS

When doing traditional workouts, you start by selecting a muscle group and then choose an exercise and workout equipment based on what you want to achieve. Theres absolutely nothing wrong with that, but it presents some obstacles that you have to overcome before you can get started. For example, you need to own the necessary equipment, or have access to a gym that does (and time to go there).

One popular way to exercise is to do a group workout, for instance aerobics, CrossFit, or any team sport. When doing group workouts, you need to be at a certain place at a certain time and maybe with some specific gear, and all of this needs to fit with your agenda. Thats quite a lot of parameters to align just to get some exercise.

Of course, there are other activities with fewer constraints. One of the most common is running, which only requires a pair of shoes, time, and the willpower to take the first step. Those are still quite a few hurdles to overcome. Another is to do high-intensity interval exercises at home. While you dont have to leave your house, the number of obstacles remains the same.