It all adds up
Turn your daily routine into a fitter you
By Erica K. Perkins, Fitness Director, University of Virginia
If you can't stand the thought of walking on a treadmill, going to a gym, or doing other forms of formal exercise, don't fret: by making small adjustments to your regular daily routine, you can burn extra calories to prevent weight gain and reap health benefits.
Extra walking steps add up and can contribute to a negative energy balance, which is necessary for weight loss. Non-exercise activities burn calories at a slower rate than intentional exercise, but they burn calories nonetheless. Used in combination with an exercise routine, non-exercise activities can help you lose weight, stay stronger, get fitter and improve your overall sense of well-being.
Pedometers are small, inexpensive tools that count the number of steps you take each day. America on the Move recommends that we take 10,000 steps each and every day. The use of a pedometer makes you aware of how much or little you are actually moving and if you find yourself behind, the following suggestions can help you move more to burn more!
Take the stairs. Instead of sending one of the kids upstairs to retrieve a forgotten item, do it yourself. While you need not run up and down the steps for no reason (though it's not a bad idea), use the reasons at hand to make an extra trip or two during the day.
While at work, use restrooms that are on another floor. You'll burn a few extra calories for each step. If you work on the second or third floor above ground level, consider taking the steps instead of the elevator, provided the stairwells are safe and well lit. Taking the stairs a few extra times each day can burn off enough calories over time to prevent weight gain and keep the muscles of your thighs toned.
Play with the kids. From "Red Light/Green Light" with little ones to a one-on-one basketball shootout with your teenager, enjoy a half hour of pure fun, acting like a kid again. Just don't overdo it!
Do extra chores. Mow the lawn; sweep the sidewalk; hand-wash the car; rake leaves; vacuum furniture; mop the floors and clean the closets. Instead of procrastinating dreaded chores, view them as forms of calorie-burning exercise.
Walk whenever possible. When watching your son/daughter/grandchild play sports, walk around the field or arena rather than sitting in the bleachers; park your car in the farthest space from the door of any store so you have further to walk; schedule coffee or lunch dates as walking meetings whenever weather permits; take family walks after dinner.
These suggestions are not a replacement for a good aerobic workout, but they do burn calories and, in some cases, help tone muscles. The only catch is that you have to change the way you think about how you do everyday things. Choose less short cuts and the more active option, whenever possible. Instead of giving up on fitting more exercise into your hectic schedule, be sure to schedule your workouts in your calendar and plan to be more active during the other daily hours. You'll notice the results.