Cardio When You're Not in Spandex

Maybe some of you do your cardio religiously. Some of you might not do any cardio at all. Some go through spurts. Some can't do it at all.

So then something you can do that's in your control is to at least try and stay as active as you can during the day. Instead of always taking the easy way out, i.e. the closest parking spot or the elevator, think of what would be best for your body and health instead.

Here are some things we can do when we're not in spandex, or at the gym:

• Run, instead of walk up the stairs (or just take the stairs in the first place!)
  
• Park in the farthest parking spot
  
• Keep walking/pacing while on the phone instead of sitting down
  
• Do some squats, lunges, sit ups, pushups, and dips while in the office during lunch break
• Get a Stability Ball instead of a chair to sit on to constantly work on your core
  
• Ride your bike to a neighbor's house instead of driving
  
• Take your baby on a run with the stroller
  
• Do some gardening
  
• Dance to your favorite music 10 minutes
• Wash and wax your car, vigorously
• Play hopscotch with your kids
• Replace your coffee breaks with walking breaks
• Get off the bus a couple of stops early and walk the rest of the way home
• Play table tennis
• Instead of going to the movies, pick up a new sport i.e. tennis, racquetball, volleyball
• Do situps or jumping jacks during the commercial of the show you're watching on TV

I'm sure you can get pretty creative on your own, if you just made it a priority. Of course it'd be best if we could get in a set time to be active and get cardio in. But imagine how much higher your resting metabolic rate would be if you tried to conscientiously stay active all day long? You could get away a bit more with what you ate. Is that motivating enough for you?