10 Fun and Easy Ways to Sneak in Exercise and Burn More Calories

Does this familiar? Intellectually, I know how important it is to exercise regularly, but sometimes when I think about having to go to the gym, I’ll imagine a dozen reasons for not having time to go, because I don’t really want to do it.
Let’s face it, sometimes the thought of exercising seems just plain boring.
When most of us think of burning calories, we conjure up images of sweaty gyms or hours of running. That doesn’t have to be the way you burn calories.
Thank goodness for me, it’s not actually necessary to work out in the gym to meet my fitness and calorie-burning goals. There are many ways to fit in calorie-burning activities throughout the day without a formal gym session.
In reality, we  burn calories all day long.  The  body is actually in constant calorie burning mode, but the normal calorie burning your body does naturally does not help with weight loss. In order to lose weight, you have to burn more calories than you take in—plain and simple.

Try these  Fun and Easy Ways to Up your Burn!

 

1. Power Up Your Walking Routine

If you walk for exercise then you have the means to really burn calories. The next time you walk, swing your arms a little more and lift your feet higher. Really put you whole body into it. Power walking can be just as beneficial as any other exercise and all it requires is the ability to walk. If you have never heard of power walking, there are some great books and videos to help get you started. You can burn up to 500 calories power walking and it is so easy to do. Grab a walking buddy and go!

2. Skate the Calories Away

Roller skating, roller blading and ice skating are all good ways to get fit and have fun. If you don’t have a skating rink, then rollerblades might be the way to go. If you have a walking path in your area, you can rollerblade because the skates were made to go on these types of paths. If you have never done this before, find a newbie group and learn, or you can practice on the sidewalk right outside your house. Get the kids to help you, they are pros at this stuff.

3. Dance the Dust Away

Another easy way to get fit is to do household chores. Put your ear plugs in and listen to some dance music while you clean and do chores. Bounce while you are dusting, sweeping and mopping. Swing those hips and move your arms while scrubbing sinks and doing dishes. You will burn calories and get your house clean all while getting fit to some fun music.

4. Get Fit at Home

You can get fit by being creative in how you burn your calories at home. Run up and down the stairs, for example. Pop in your favorite exercise DVD, grab some hand weights and work it on out!

5. Ride Your Bike and Burn

If you can’t invest in a monthly gym membership then invest in a bicycle. Cycling is so much fun and has many health benefits. Plus, you can get your family to ride with you. You don’t need to go out and buy all the equipment like the serious cycling people do. Just get yourself a good bike and a helmet and you are set. Not only do you burn calories, but you get out in the sunshine and breathe some fresh air. Biking is such a good way to relax your mind and get all the benefits of exercise as well.

6. Work out with Wii

Instead of sitting in front of your TV idly watching movies, get your family up and move!  Using your WII, you can bowl, play tennis, dance and even do yoga if you want. Almost every gaming console has the technology for interactive fun. So get off the couch and get on your feet. Family time has never been fitter.

7. For Calorie Burning Mileage, Clean Your Car

Save yourself some money and burn calories by washing your own car. Get the family out there with you and make it fun. If you put your whole body into it, you can burn around 100 calories. Why not wash all the family cars and really get some calorie burning mileage from the task.

8. Bring Gym Class to the Yard

Remember all the great exercises you did in gym class when you were a kid? Well, those exercises still burn calories and keep you fit. Try jump roping or doing jumping jacks. These types of exercises get your heart pumping and burn calories quickly. Run, skip, jump and do handstands with your kids. Mix it up! Do all types of exercises out on the lawn for even more fun in the sun!

9. Plant and Burn

You may not have a green thumb, but if you do then gardening can help you burn calories. Gardening is hard work but it brings about a peace to the soul when you see something growing from the work you did. Why not plant some healthy vegetables? You can nourish your body and burn about 300 calories an hour.

10. Lose While you Snooze

Getting eight really good hours of sleep can burn 350 calories each night. It may be hard to get your mind in the position to where it shuts down for the night in order to allow your body to burn those calories. Make your bedtime routine a calm and quite one. Take a warm bath, listen to calming music or do some light reading that doesn’t get your brain thinking too much. Getting 8 hours of restful sleep will not only help your outlook on life, but allow your body to burn calories without you even lifting a muscle.
So have some fun while you burn calories. Remember, you do burn calories all day so even when you are doing something as simple as walking up and down stairs, put a little extra oomph into it and get fit.
How do you fit more calorie-burning activities into your day? Share your comments and suggestions with us.
 

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