“Workouts are the sweaty, difficult and tiring things; things for which you never have time for”.
This is a common perception that we all share. But not all workouts are supposed to be these. After all workouts are anything that gives exercise to your body.
Our grandmothers and mothers did not require workouts, did they? So if you are physically active, you don’t need to sweat it out in the gym…
There are few that you are already doing, that are burning calories. Want to know which ones?
Here’s a list:
Cleaning your house:
Remember, the Diwali cleaning you did, or the times your maid didn’t turn up…. And what a good sweat you had after it. Cleaning is a good work out activity.
When you polish, dust or mop or sweep your arms get a workout.
Making bed- gets you great stretches.
Washing dishes, doing laundry tones the thigh and improves the flexibility.
So rather than going to an expensive gym, it would do you more good, to help clean your house. Let that not be your activity once in a year, but an everyday activity…
Playing with your kids:
If you have a toddler from an age from 2-6 you would know how much running around you need to do around them. But that’s good isn’t it? Not only are you getting a workout from running, jumping, playing hide and seek and other spontaneous games; the kid is also spending quality time with you rather than the TV.
So next time you find yourself and your kid on the couch… get off it and play!
Climbing up the stairs:
If you are among those who don’t have an elevator in their building or office, you are one of the lucky ones. Although you might feel that climbing the stairs give you nothing but sweat, it is a great cardio activity.
It is especially great for people with high cholesterol. For those having an elevator in their building get down 2 floor before your destination and climb those up and while coming down, climb down the entire way.
Walking the dog:
For the lucky ones who have a dog and even luckier who regularly take them on a walk, you end up burning calories and losing weight.
It is found that dog walkers walking for 10 minutes per day three times a week for a year end up losing 14 pounds not only that they "bonded with the animals, improved their flexibility, balance and ability to walk, lost weight and felt better about themselves". These all were economically disadvantaged, lead sedentary lifestyles and had multiple chronic illnesses.
Dog owners rejoice- if 10 minutes can be so useful, it will be more useful if the walks are long.
For those without a dog, we could always walk without a dog.
Shopping:
You thought you only lost money when you shopped but you also lose your weight while doing so…
Here’s how:
When we shop in a mall or super mart, we end up walking the aisle, lifting heavy objects, moving the trolley, waiting in the line at the counter and moving the bags from the market to the car or other vehicle.
Even when not in a mall we spend a considerable amount of time window shopping, selecting the articles we need, trying out stuff and haggling with the shop-keeper.
So the next time you think of shopping, walk all over the place and take time to reach your destination. You won’t feel guilty about shopping if you lose weight with it!
Snacking on these:
Ever thought that eating food would burn calories? It really does, but mostly we eat more calories than we are burning. But these foods burn more calories than they contain.
- Strawberries
- Carrots
- Celery
- Oranges
- Apricots
- Lettuce
- Tomatoes
- Cucumbers
- Watermelon
- Cauliflower
- Apples
Commuting:
Commuting is a daily part of our life. We would feel better with the knowledge that the time we spend standing in the bus or the train doesn’t go waste. We burn calories while doing so.
It is found that you burn 50% more calories while standing compared to sitting.
So next time you have a seat, don’t you flinch giving it up for someone else. You are the one gaining not him!
Ok, before you throw away the Gym membership; these work outs only contribute to your weight loss. These will hardly bring a drastic change in the weight. So revel in the fact that if you are doing some of these you are on the right track, you just need to increase the frequency and the intensity.
Studies have shown simple things like standing when you make phone calls or taking walk breaks rather than coffee ones, shaking your legs, drumming your fingers all contribute in burning calories, no matter how small. So what are you waiting for? Get up and start milling around to lose those calories!
