Other Ways to Get Some Exercise

A client and I were speaking recently and he mentioned how annoyed he gets by women who say that their housework is exercise.  I had to get him to say a bit more about that before I gave a reply and to not voice the first response that sprang to my mind.  He went on to say that going up and down the stairs with laundry a few times wasn't really exercise.  To which I was able to reply, no, it's not.  But giving the house a thorough cleaning for at least an hour; including scrubbing, vacuuming and mopping is quite a good workout.  You work up quite a sweat on a good house cleaning jag.

Another great way to build in exercise?  Gardening.  You get to be outside and connect with nature.  I trimmed the ivy and dug up some rouge trees this morning.  My shoulders and arms ached pleasantly by the time I was done and I worked up another good sweat.

If you live in a walkable area you can leave your car at home and do your errands on foot.  There is no need to take the car on small errands such as going to the bank or the drugstore if you can walk it.  (I know this is not an option in all areas).  Walk like you have somewhere to be and you can get a decent workout in there too.

Do you have a pet?  Give your pooch a good walk or explore your local park's hiking trails.  If you don't have a pet can do some good by walking a shelter dog.  He or she will love the attention and you get a walk or run in as well.

Stuck in an office all day?  Use your lunch time to walk or use the stairwell for a great workout.  Jog up a few flights of stairs and then make games out of stepping to the corners of the steps in a zig-zag motion or skip every other step for a few more flights.  You can also use the steps for some lunges or do sets of squats on the landing.  Just have some baby wipes handy for a quick clean up after your stair session.

So on days when you aren't able to hit the gym or get a run in, you can still sneak some fitness into your day. And your house, yard or pet can also benefit.

What's your favorite way to sneak some exercise in during your day?

Do you want to start an exercise plan but don't know where to start?  Send me an email, janinemchale@empoweredplate.com, and we can set up a free consultation to see whether I can help you with your goals.  You can also visit my website, http://empoweredplate.com/, for more information.