« Have you planked today? | Home | Pass the nuts, please! »
Simple Ways to Make Exercise a Part of Your Everyday Life
By workoutmommy | June 25, 2008
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my rss feed. Thanks for visiting!
This is a guest post from Christopher William McCombs, a Brentwood Personal Trainer. Chris instructs an incredibly different approach to shedding fat to Los Angeles residents and he makes the workouts fun. Chris is also a Fitness Trainer Marketing expert and helps fitness trainers all over the globe to increase their income several fold while decreasing their working hours.
It’s a mistake to assume that exercise is something that you only do at certain points during the week. While the time you spend in the gym lifting weights or doing high intensity cardio is important, you should also seek out ways that you can get a little more exercise into every part of your life. The easiest way to do this is by increasing the amount of time that you spend walking.
When you are walking, it might not feel like you are getting exercise, but over time, it can burn a surprising number of calories. Over a course of a few months this could mean a few more pounds lost and a fitter you.
If you want to include more exercise into your activities:
Wear a Pedometer - A pedometer is a small electronic gadget that clips to your waistband and tells you how many steps you take in a course of a given period. It works because there is a sensitive mechanism inside of the pedometer that can detect whenever the pedometer is jostled. When whenever you take a step, the device shakes a bit, and counts a single step.
Studies have shown that by simply wearing a pedometer, you are more likely to walk more throughout the day. It seems that when you have something that actually tells you how much you are walking, you are simply pushed to find ways to get for walking into your life.
Park Further Away When You Go Shopping – Whenever people go shopping at the mall or grocery store, they almost invariably try to fight for the very closest space that they can find, even if it means that they have to sit in their cars a little longer until someone else vacates their spot. And all so that they can walk a shorter distance to the store and back.
If you want to get a little more walking through your trips to the supermarket, just park in the back. There are usually a lot more spaces open, and you probably won’t lose any time walking, because you don’t have to contend with waiting for a space closer to open up.
Walk with Friends and Family - One of the best ways to incorporate more exercise into your life is by making exercise a social activity. Instead of spending an evening in with your partner, go for a little stroll at you local park. You may be surprised by how many sights there are to see in your own neighborhood if you just take an occasional walk. You might even check out if there any hiking trails in your area.
Take Advantage of Breaks at the Office - Don’t just hang out in the kitchen during your lunch breaks, take a stroll around your office building. Taking these short breaks won’t just help you burn more calories, they will help get your blood pumping a little more and refresh you, helping you be more productive and less stressed as you work.
photo credit: fredthechicken
June 25th, 2008 at 5:13 am
ooooh can I chime in with one which struck me after reading?
send fewer emails in the office.
walk, if appropriate, DOWN THE HALL
and have a conversation.
get moving all that you can as those little steps add up, huh?
(and we’ll know now thanks to the pedometer suggestion!)
M.
MizFit’s last blog post..Viewer Mail.
June 25th, 2008 at 6:22 am
I walk or run on my lunch break. It does wonder to my mood at work, gives me an opportunity to talk to my coworker (the one I guilt into coming with me) and adds a significant amount of steps daily.
Our company actually participates in a program where we are issued pedometers and compete by teams on our daily step average. It gets the competitve fluids going, and people do make an extra effort.
June 25th, 2008 at 8:16 am
These are all great! I should dust off my pedometer. One I would add to it is to squat/lunge when you are cleaning up a room instead of bending down. I takes a little longer, but I get a clean room and some good bun burning.
Hannah’s last blog post..Finding my Pace
June 25th, 2008 at 10:04 am
I have a mini pedal bike. It does not have any fancy calorie counter or distance measurement, but it is cheap and functional. I use it when I am watching TV or when I am reading. I pedal at a slow pace so that I can keep it up for hours at a time. Little things all add up.
asithi’s last blog post..By: Breakdown of Calorie Expenditure in our Bodies
June 25th, 2008 at 10:06 am
I like doing things like that; taking the stairs all the time is a good one too. A few extra steps each day counts!
Sagan’s last blog post..Motivation and Body Image
June 25th, 2008 at 10:07 am
Great tips!
The pedometer is key and I’ve got to start wearing mine again. When I was trying to shed my baby weight last summer/fall, I wore a pedometer and gave myself weekly step goals. It really helped!
Hannah — your tip to squat instead of bending down is right on! An additional benefit is that squatting instead of bending helps protect your back.
Felice’s last blog post..Day 2.
June 25th, 2008 at 12:41 pm
All simple suggestions, but how many of us follow them?
I do wear a pedometer daily, but still look for the closest spot and catch myself taking the elevator near the end of the day.
TB–Milwaukee’s last blog post..Nothing Tastes As Good…Part II
June 25th, 2008 at 12:48 pm
Hooray, I’m so glad to have mutually found your blog via Mrs. Flinger’s comments section! Oh boy, is this going to be helpful, thanks!!
syd’s last blog post..photo booths
June 25th, 2008 at 1:02 pm
mizfit-great one about moving in the office instead of sending emails down the hall
alice-that is great that your company encourages pedometer use. are there prizes?
asithi–right on, every bit counts!
hannah-love the squat idea! I do them when I am loading the washing machine. (with baby in arms adds even more challenge!)
sagan-great tip about the stairs–elevators should never be an option.
tb–very good point. I haven’t worn my pedometer in far too long, but like Felice, I am dusting it off!
June 25th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
I really love this post, Lisa! I think for anyone pressed for time it’s little things like this that really makes a difference in our overall fitness level.
Since we’re throwing out other ideas, I should tell you that I do calf raises while I brush my teeth and yoga stretches when I get in bed every night. Every little bit counts!
Cynthia’s last blog post..Mario Lopez and Audrina Patridge Dish on Diet Secrets
June 25th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
Great tips, Lisa! I love the office one. I’ve noticed that I feel so much better on the days where I’ve managed to get in a lot of little “incidental” exercise - even if I didn’t get my regular hard core workout in.
charlotte’s last blog post..I Apologize From My Heart
June 25th, 2008 at 6:40 pm
Great suggestions!!!! I do most of these….I also opt to take the stairs most of the time….all 7 flights!!
KFJ’s last blog post..’80’s Fix Wednesday