Notice I said BRTs and not just buses in general? Our Danfos are way too tight for you to move any muscle once you sit down, but if you can manage, then carry on.
Having a 9-5 in Lagos means having to leave your house from 6am. So early morning workouts are out of the question. Here are some exercises you can do on the bus on your way to work.
- Give up your seat on the BRT if your commute isn’t extra-long. Hold on to the strap-hanger. You get to do your good deed of the week and work your biceps too. You can pull up a little on your toes to put in a little extra work. Remember to keep changing hands maybe every 30 seconds or so.
- Keep your shoulders and neck relaxed and contract your lower abdominal muscles (suck belle). Hold it in for a while, maybe count up to 20 and release. Repeat 10-15 times or for as long as you can go.
- Calf raises. Sit with your feet and hip width apart. Try and tip toe then contract your calves and come back. down. Repeat as many ties as you can.
- Isometric exercises. These basically requires you to flex every muscle in your body. Start from the tips of your toes and work up to your necks.
- Raise your hands towards the roof of the bus, suck in your stomach and flex your back muscles hold for 10 seconds and come back down. Repeat until people start giving you weird looks.
Does anyone have MFM’s number on speed dial? - Breathing exercises. This should be the first thing you do once you get on the bus, it relieves tension and reduces stress. Take a deep breath, holding it in for ten seconds and then breathe out. Do it till you feel the tension in your shoulders ease. That way you are not to quick to get into fights with other commuters or the conductor.
If other passengers start asking if youre going into labour, youre doing it wrong.