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Marsha
Brascher, July 8, 2009
Whether you work out in the gym or not, how
about some creative ways to burn calories that
are fun and invigorating?
Stand
Think of all the times during the day that we
find ourselves waiting. Studies show that we
spend many years of our life waiting around.
What do we do while we are standing there,
waiting? Most people take a number and sit.
Think of all the times that we wait: the
doctor’s office, the post office, the pharmacy,
the airport, any government office and a
million other places. If we stand
instead of sitting, we burn 36 more calories.
Before you snicker at the small difference,
think about using this time to do some deep
breathing exercises. This is one of the best
ways to burn calories and get a blast of
energy.
Wash Your Own Car!
We all like to have clean cars. Many people
take their vehicles to the car wash to save
time or it has just become a weekly ritual. Try
washing the car by hand and see the sweat that
we work up. The bigger
the vehicle the more energy we
burn.
It’s estimated that we can burn around
300 calories an hour washing the
car. Look at
the amount of calories that we burn when
we go to the gym, jog, or walk briskly.
Instead of being in a hot, humid gym, we
are outside getting fresh air and
(hopefully) sunshine. Here is an
opportunity to even get the kids or
grandkids outside and help!
Housework or Working in the
Yard
Now here’s a hundred different ways to burn
calories without even knowing it. Inside, we
are burning calories while vacuuming, washing
windows, hauling dirty clothes around, doing
laundry or scrubbing the
floors.
Outside, we burn calories when we are
mowing the lawn, weeding, raking the
leaves, or sweeping off the decks and
walkways. Think of all the water we save
by simply using a broom instead of the
hose. Burning calories while we are doing
housework or yard work is often
overlooked.
Play with the Kids in Your
Life
We all know the studies done on ‘coach
potatoes’ and the harm of too much television
and video games to our children. What better
way to get our kids up and playing if we do it
with them! It doesn’t matter if they are our
kids, grandkids, relatives, or the neighbor
kids. Playing with kids is a fun way to build
those lifelong memories and one of the great
ways to burn calories. The older we get, the
more it feels like we have had a workout at the
gym. We could burn
up to 150 calories - jumping rope, playing
catch, riding cruisers (those big fat tire
bicycles), shooting hoops, playing kick ball,
or just by playing tag. They will love us for
it.
Before we dismiss exercise as too boring and
time consuming, think of all the ways to burn
calories without stepping into the gym! So get
up and let’s do something!
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