The Definitive Guide to Living in the Capital , Cairo , Egypt

If
you are anything like this reviewer, the mere mention of gyms, diets and
exercise regimes has you breaking into mild panic.When
friends sit around and discuss the facilities at the latest gym and trade
calorie information on their low-fat snacks with the all the shrewdness of stockbrokers;
it can be a bit much.

Should
we lie about the fact that Chipsy is our snack of choice, that we haven’t seen
the inside of a gym in months, and that we often make plans based on the
distance between our parking space and the door?

The
fact is that exercise is important;
so we’ve worked long and hard to come up with a list of easy tips to make even
the laziest of laze-abouts (ahem) move a little.

At the Office Too often, we use work as
an excuse. Having to sit in front of a computer all day long can certainly do
damage to the figure, but it’s not that hard to mix up your daily office
routine with a few friendly activities to keep yourself in shape. Stand up and
stroll to the other end of the hall every hour or so– even this small amount of
effort will increase circulation; plus, some say that breaking concentration with movement actually
stimulates the brain to focus and think more creatively. Shake out your feet
and hands; roll your neck from side to side, and stretch to loosen your
shoulders and back.

The Little Changes Count Fight your instincts! A
big part of getting exercise is making your body do things that it isn’t used to. Used
to parking as close as possible to your office? Park a few streets away and
make the walk. Tired of waiting for the elevator? Every other day, take the
stairs instead of summoning the lift on autopilot. Not only will this engage
muscles that we personally fear have atrophied long ago, but the added physical
impulse will have you feeling more awake and alert during the work day.

Get thee to a gym…Now! If you’ve got as far as
joining a gym, don’t panic! Don’t discard your lazy-person-badge just yet; how
often do you actually manage to make it onto the treadmills? An easy tip is to
sidestep your after-work plans, and head directly to the gym from work; even if
you only last twenty minutes, a post-work workout will do your body good.

Avoid Intimidating Workout Machines If you share our aversion
to weight-lifting and fancy aerobics gadgets; keep it basic. We suggest
investing in a stretch band, which allows you to exercise muscles in the
shoulders, biceps and triceps, as well as stretching key back muscles. You can
purchase one of various resistance levels and for a range of price and quality at
sporting goods stores such as Sports
Mall.

For You Fashionistas We firmly believe that we
lazy people really just need a little incentive; if you believe that exercise
hardly sounds appealing, try to make it fun. We know it’s a little unfair to
leave the gentlemen out, but we couldn’t resist this; ladies, did you know that
wearing high heels actually works certain calf and back muscles? We’re not
saying dress to the nines in your most daring stilettos every day, but if you
incorporate heels into your outfit three to four times a week; you’ll have the
double benefit of feeling ladylike-fancy and working some new muscles.

So
take it from us: adding a little movement to your daily routine makes a
noticeable difference, boosting mood and moral, and giving us a healthier
feeling. Ridiculous as these small steps may sound, we’ve learned that taking
it slow and embracing small changes work the best for us lazy people, and
generally makes us feel happier and better about ourselves. And that is a very
good thing.