And everybody in the photo was using the escalator (except for the one guy who was clearly going DOWN the stairs!)
It's funny but unfortunately all too true. Exercise as we know it these days has become much too isolated.
‘Exercise’ means an hour at the gym or 30 minutes on our treadmill. It means popping in a pilates video or doing yoga at 6:30 a.m. before we start the day.
Unfortunately, many people miss out on opportunities to exercise that are much more fun than the above.
You could call it practical, everyday exercising. Here are some ways you can get your exercise in WITHOUT going to the gym or doing the pilates video (of course you’re welcome to do that too!)
#1) Play.
Do you have little kids? Or even a dog? Then throw off those adult instincts and get crazy!
Play with them. Run around. My puppy just goes nuts when I run around with him in the morning. It makes me act even crazier when I see his little tail wagging a mile a minute.
Before I know it I’m completely out of breath and 15 or 20 minutes has gone by! And that's a lot more fun than going to the gym!
#2) Dance
This is good even without kids or a dog. Don’t like going to the clubs? No problem. Turn on your favorite tunes and dance around your house.
Who cares if the neighbors see you? (you might want to make sure you’re dressed, mind you…). It could be the Beatles, Elvis, the Rolling Stones, or DJ whoever’s latest dance mix. Have fun and lose yourself in the moment!
#3) Take a commercial break.
Can’t stand to miss the latest episode of ER? Go for it, but view every commercial break as an opportunity to build strength. Try doing push-ups or sit-ups or even quick lifts with some free weights.
The fun part is to try to do as many as you can during the commercial break—and then try to top yourself the next commercial break.
This also has the added bonus of keeping your attention off those commercials for chocolate brownie ice cream or Hershey’s Caramilk that always seem to pop up at those times (a complete coincidence, I’m sure!)
#4) Sell Your House.
Ok, this one’s not for the faint of heart I admit. But I lost five pounds during the two weeks we were showing our house. Simply because I was cleaning every day.
You could also say ‘clean your house a lot’ or 'have a lot of dinner parties' for this method of exercise, but I thought ‘sell your house’ might get a little more attention.
I know cleaning the house might not be termed as ‘fun’ by many (including me) however you do get something extra out of it that plain old exercise won’t give you—a clean house. Which is always enjoyable, no matter who you are.
Those are several ways to build exercise into your life without ‘exercising’. There are tons more ways to ramp up that calorie burning exercise without hitting the gym. Just remember that no matter what you do, even if it seems like a little: EVERYTHING Counts!
Until the next time—keep dancing!
