HOW YOU MAY BE WORKING OUT WITHOUT REALIZING IT
Exercise is a much feared word, and rightfully so. It’s sweaty, lonely and doesn’t feel good even one bit. But there are ways in which we can incorporate small exercises into daily life that will make us float by with a smile on this dreaded treadmill. In this article, we tell you five different ways of doing this.
Exercise is a luxury many of us cannot afford these days, and there are many social messages out there to make us feel guilty for not getting our daily physical exercise fix. But wait! Often, it is quite possible that we’re exercising enough for our bodies without realizing that we’re doing so. How is that, you ask? Well, here are a few ways in you are probably already exercising without knowing it.
1. Carrying a purse or a bag
This applies to women more than it does to men, but if you’re habituated to carrying a purse of a bag that is significantly heavy, then you’re already doing enough weights for the day. If you carry a laptop bag, even better! However, if you want more of a workout, then don’t carry your bag slung over your shoulders, but carry it in your arms at waist-height, and then keep changing hands every once in a while to exercise those biceps and forearms.
2. Standing in line
If there is a long line at the coffee or lunch place, don’t curse the universe. Instead, cheer up, because standing up burns more calories than sitting down. While you’re anyway waiting for your turn, why not take the opportunity to work your calves and thighs by doing some heel lifts? Lift yourself onto the balls of your feet, lock your knees so that your weight is uniformly distributed, and do some lifts for a nice little workout.
3. Doing the dishes and laundry
Household chores are great calorie busters. So take the few minutes it takes every night after dinner to do the dishes instead of socking them into a dishwasher. If you must use a dishwasher, stay back until they’re done and unload the dishes, wipe them, and put them back where they belong in the cabinet. Laundry is great exercise too, from loading to unloading and drying, but it happens only once a week in most households, so it may not be habit-forming.
4. Grocery shopping
If you want to make the most of your grocery shopping trip, pick up baskets instead of a wheeled cart. Not only will this exercise your arms and shoulders, but it will also keep you from picking up things that you don’t need. That way, you won’t have junk lying around the house to binge on, so there is an indirect benefit for your health.
5. Laughing
Laughing is fundamentally a physical action, and it has long been said that a person who laughs the most lives the longest. When you laugh genuinely, your lungs and your diaphragm muscles work extra hard to exhale all that air, and it also strengthens your core. So go ahead, laugh a lot. It’s good for you.
