Exercising isn't just about the calories you burn while you're exercising. Exercising is beneficial because it revs up your metabolism. It's the only thing besides breakfast that's linked to long term weight loss. And it's not just because of the 350 calories you burned while you were exercising. It's the message it sends to your body and your metabolism to burn calories the rest of the day.
That's why it's so important to move around during the day, because it is just as helpful to your metabolism by staying active. It shouldn't replace your workouts, but it certainly improves your RMR. (Remember that from the posts in the beginning?)
From Ultra Metabolism
, here is a short list of ways to stay active in your everyday life:- Do sit-ups (or any form of activity) in front of the TV
- Walk during your lunch hour
- Take a family walk after dinner
- Walk instead of driving whenever you can
- Walk to your place of worship instead of driving
- Get a dog and walk it
- Join an exercise group
- Do yard work
- Get off the train or bus a stop early and walk
- Work around the house
- Bicycle to the store instead of driving
- Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching tv
- Wash your car by hand
- Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games
- Park further from the store and walk
- Ask a friend to exercise with you
- Exercise indoors with a video if the weather is bad
- Play with your kids thirty minutes a day
- Dance
- Walk briskly in the mall
- Explore new physical activities
- Vary your activities, for interest and to broaden the range of benefits
- Take stairs instead of the escalator
- Walk to a coworker's desk instead of sending an e-mail
- Use a snow shovel instead of a snowblower
- When walking, go up the hills instead of around them
- Buy a set of hand weights and play a round of "Simon says" with your kids: you do it with the weights, they do it without
- Reward and acknowledge your efforts
No comments:
Post a Comment