Different Kinds Of Daily Exercise!
Last week a Patient made a statement that got me thinking:
“I wish I could exercise more but there just isn’t enough hours in the day!
The question being are there ways in which we can perform general everyday activities, which count as good exercise?
The gym doesn’t appeal to me, and the thought of going for a run scares me!”
Sometimes life gets the better of us when trying to fit the gym in or perform any form of exercise daily. Being overhauled with things to do is one main limitation that cause people to miss a session in the gym or get a workout in.
Not only that – the appealing nature of going to the gym or going for a run or a cycle outdoors is not for everyone!
For years people have the belief that in order to perform a satisfactory level of exercise we must break a sweat or at least get our heart rate racing.
But that isn’t the case!
Short periods of high intensity exercise have been proven to provide individuals with significant health benefits, which is perfect when we are limited by time. This being said
there are plenty of opportunities during your day to day activities to perform specific bouts of activity
So if you find yourself struggling to get a daily workout in –
here’s some everyday activities that you can contribute towards your overall activity when life gets in the way!
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Walking
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The most obvious but also the most underrated form of exercise.
Walking at a decent pace is still considered a form of cardiovascular exercise.
By increasing your pace and distance at some point during your day, walking will be a considerable form of daily exercise.
Going for walks with friends or walking in nice areas such as parks or toe paths can prevent you feeling bored while walking, and if that fails try listening to music or walk with a treat at the end such as a nice coffee shop.
Knowing I have a nice chocolatey mocha waiting for me at the end of my walk makes it that much better!
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Taking The Stairs
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Taking the stair is another great activity to get more exercise into your daily life. Another one that people tend to shy away from due to the feeling we get after performing a few flights –That’s why we invented escalators and lifts.
Although it is tough walking up the stairs is a great cardiovascular exercise to perform as it incorporates increased activity in all those leg muscles.
So next time your put in the predicament between taking the lift or the stairs –
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stop, think about it, and take the stairs instead.
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The benefits you will get while doing so are overwhelming as you will begin to feel more energetic, help fight any underlying sickness and even lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases.
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Cleaning
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I’m sure when we perform are daily chores like scrubbing a floor or cleaning a bathroom we begin to feel out of puff and a bit hot!
That’s because although it doesn’t seem to be but cleaning is a good form of workout where we are constantly engaged in performing a specific activity with an end goal and is also a great calorie burner.
Our bodies will raise our heart rate while doing tasks like cleaning windows, cleaning the bathroom, the kitchen head to toe and running the vacuum around.
So now there’s a reason to do the housework more often
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Shopping
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Every woman’s favourite thing to do!
One thing we are obligated to do while out shopping is walk therefore if we are out buying nice new cloths or a general food shop walking is must in doing so we will burn up to 200 calories per hour walking at a good pace.
Things to consider while out shopping to improve activity:
Take the stairs instead of lifts or escalators.
Park car further away from the entrance.
Increase your step count by taking a longer route going round your favourite shops.
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Gardening
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Gardening a form of exercise which is very rewarding in terms of aesthetic value and physical value in terms of our bodies. Performing tasks within the gardening whether it be cutting the grass, planting shrubs, raking the lawn… the body will feel like it has been put through its paces, that’s because while perform such activities the body is forced to engage all our muscles throughout are bodies.
Gardening has other added benefits as it exposes you to delightful fresh air and of course a dose of well needed vitamin D which is great for your body’s immune system.
So don’t waste the next sunny day you have and perform some therapeutic goal rewarding activities in the garden- Its even classed as a moderate to high intensity exercise!
So all in all the more activites you are able to fit in within your hectic lives, the more physically active you are. So no excuse to incorporate everyday activities into your life.