I’m already chuckling. Seriously, I am. This is one of my favorite, most comical (but effective) tools that I give to my clients. Every time I tell my clients about it, they get a surprised expression on their face and nervously laugh. I can only imagine the images going through their head when I tell them about it.

I’m sure more than one has thought, “Great. I have a crazy health and fitness coach!” But I always get the last laugh (in a good way!) on this one, because it is a nice trick to help you lose weight and get more fit!

Are you ready for it? Here it is: I want you to work out in the bathroom.

Don’t worry. We’re not talking about a full-blown, 30 minute, sweat-pouring, leg-quivering, arms out of control kind of workout. You won’t get funny stares from your co-workers as you walk out of the bathroom stall red-faced, huffing and puffing (because you won’t be). And there won’t be any funny noises coming from your stall, because you won’t need to grunt, scream, or holler from a monstrously heavy burden. There will be no SWAT team, police, security, or even your boss waiting outside the bathroom door, armed and ready for whatever strange events are happening inside.

So, relax. We’re talking about a selection of movements (you get to pick) that take just 45 seconds, at the max!

The overall premise is very simple: we don’t move enough each day, so we’re going to take advantage of our small, built-in, mandatory-for-life “bathroom breaks” to squeeze in a little more exercise every day. EVERY time we increase our activity, we get a brief increase in our metabolism, which means we are burning more calories.

Of course, more calories burned means more fat burned. More fat burned means a healthier body (assuming we’re talking about someone who needs to lose body fat). And a healthier body means a healthier, longer-lasting temple of the Holy Spirit!

Incidentally, because of the “strangeness” of the idea, I first tried this out on my mom.  She literally called me less than 2 weeks later and said that her legs felt stronger, she could go up the stairs easier, and that getting into and out of dad’s farm truck was no longer a problem!  (My mom is one of my greatest success stories)

Oh, yeah… we haven’t talked about it in depth, yet, but we recommend that you drink 1 gallon of water per day. Not only does it help your body run optimally, but it will also increase the frequency of your bathroom activity breaks!

So, once you’ve used the lavatory, just get your clothes situated and have at it!  Here are 10 exercises that you can do to burn more calories throughout your day!

1. 10-20 deep squats
2. 10-20 pushups against the bathroom wall/stall.  (Please don’t do them on the bathroom floor.  I have to draw the line, somewhere.)
3. 20 standing calf raises
4. 20 seated calf raises.  Perfect for when you have to…  well, have a seat.
5. 10 “air pushups”:  Squeeze your muscles HARD as you do an imaginary pushup in the air.
6. 10 “air pullups”:  Squeeze your muscles HARD as you do an imaginary pullup in the air.
7. 10 “air shoulder press”:  Squeeze your muscles HARD as you push your arms and hands straight up in the air.
8. 10 “air hamstring curls”:  1 leg at a time, squeeze your hamstrings hard and lift your heel to your glutes.
9. 10 knee lifts:  Do 10 knee lifts for each leg.  Bring your knee up as high as you can and pull it into your chest.
10. 10 glute squeezes:  Stand up and lift one leg BACK behind you as far as you can, keeping it straight.  Works the glutes very well!

Good news… there is one more awesome activity we can do in the bathroom:  pray!

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

Let’s face it:  we have natural, built-in “breaks” throughout the day.  Take advantage of this great opportunity to improve and increase your metabolism, strength, and flexibility.  Take advantage of this opportunity to spend time quietly in prayer with our Almighty Lord and Savior.

Who knew the bathroom was a perfect place to get Fit For Jesus!

God bless you today.  Be sure to leave a comment below and let me know your questions, how you will implement this information, and the results you achieve from it (both spiritual and physical)!

Related posts:

1. The Truth About Machines for Weight Loss

Get ready to think.  A lot.  By the end, you’ll understand the reason why.

In the 14 years that I have been a fitness professional and helped people lose weight, a lot has changed.  The methods used today to help people drop bodyfat are based on a lot more knowledge, research, and real-world experience.  In fact, dropping body fat really has never been easier.

Immeasurably better exercise programming, strong awareness of the need for recovery, greatly improved nutrition research:  it all adds up to a system that helps people lose weight faster than ever.

So, if that’s the case:  why are so many people failing when they try and lose weight?

The brutally honest answer is a lack of consistency.  Because think about it:  consistently following a system that has been proven over and over again to cause weight loss… is GOING to cause weight loss!

So, next question:  if consistency is the issue, why aren’t people consistent?

Admittedly, it takes work to lose weight.  You’ll need to work hard.  You’ll need to choose quality food.  You’ll need to rest properly.  You’ll even be a little hungry, sometimes, no matter what the latest diet book or guru says.

But…(the next logical question):  why is it that some people can maintain consistency and successfully lose weight, while others seem unable to do so?

For nearly everyone, the answer is… motivation.  95 times out of 100, it will be the people with an EXCEPTIONALLY strong “reason why” who successfully drop inches and get into new and improved clothing sizes.

Knowing this, it’s time to look inside:  what is YOUR motivation for fitness, losing weight, being healthy, and improving your body?

Is it, in general, to “look better”?  I can assure you that this shallow reason has resulted in failure for nearly everyone we’ve trained.  In fact, I don’t train anyone anymore who can only answer their “reason why” with, “I want to look better.”

Looking better simply is not a strong enough reason why you should lose weight.  Period.  Go back to the drawing board, or more precisely, into the deep recesses of your mind, and find a better reason.

Is your reason why so that you can have a better quality of life, in terms of your day-to-day activities?  Experience shows that not even the “better quality of life” answer will create consistent action.  

For some, it takes the deep emotional pain of hearing their children say “I want to be really big like mommy” or “I wish my daddy would play with me like your daddy does” before they truly realize what has happened to their body.  The reality is that it’s not until people are able to provide a very specific reason for improving their quality of life that consistency begins to shine through.

And where consistency shines through, results follow.  

But we’re still not done.  Because, unfortunately, time and time again, it is a medical scare or injury that leads to the most successful weight loss efforts.  However, by then, for many people, it is literally too late.  As hard as this is to hear, by this time, it may be over.  

Unfortunately, a fatal heart attack or stroke does not allow someone the opportunity to change their habits, does it?

So, truly, the answer to weight loss is this:  using a STRONG, life-changing, compelling “reason why” as your motivator, consistently take action and apply the proven principles of dropping body fat.

It’s simple, really.  Find the most emotional, most life-changing, most rewarding or most painful reason to change your body.  Either way, when you truly FEEL those emotions, you should either want to jump up and down and tell everyone (reward-based motivation), or you should be shedding tears (pain-based motivation).  

Do you truly want consistency?  Find reasons on BOTH ends of the spectrum!  If you can achieve that, your likelihood of success increases beyond measure.

Spend time thinking about this.  Write down your answers for your “reason why”.  Pray and ask God to reveal some of your deepest emotions, both positive and negative.  Later this week and in the coming months ahead, we’ll start looking at some Biblical reasons for being healthy that I believe are going to forever change your life.

Stay tuned, find your reason why, and God bless y0u richly,

Jeremy Nelms

P.S.  If you feel comfortable, share some of your reasons why in the comments below!

Related posts:

1. Health, Fitness, and Reward in Heaven