Incidental exercise should form the foundation of your total daily activity and can make the difference between being overweight or not. Engaging in more such activities can help to boost your daily energy expenditure and keep your metabolism going.
If you are currently doing no exercise at all, focusing on your incidental exercise is a great place to begin! Replace a few of the convenient activities with traditional ones that get you to move more! Exercise doesn’t take as long as you think and every time you challenge your heart and lungs they will make a small adaptation for the better. Here are ways to embrace incidental exercise and feel better for it.
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Jump lightly on the balls of you feet and try not to let your heels touch the ground. Keep your jumps small and relaxed. You only need to skip rope for 3 minutes and you’ll burn 155KJ. Do it while watching television during the advertisements. Or just as a pick me up for a lazy afternoon but skip the coffee.
Use an adult-sized hoop. Start with your feet planted on in front of the other and shift your weight back and forth (rather than in a circular motion). Hula-hoop continuously for 10 minutes and you’ll burn 418KJ. Practice your multi-tasking skills and do it while watching the television or listening to the radio.
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There are stairs everywhere if you just open your eyes to them! Ditch the lifts and escalators and instead take the stairs every time. And if you’re feeling particularly spritely (and providing no one is around to think you’re a weirdo) once you get to the top, skip back down and take the stairs again!
Safety is key wherever you choose to skate, be it at a skating rink or the park. Pick up some knee pads, wrist guards and a helmet. Skating for about half an hour burns 1000KJ.
Play the frisbee for 30 minutes and you will burn about 525KJ. It will keep your pet happy too.
Your dog needs exercise everyday so it’s a good opportunity for you to get moving too. Take plenty of water for you and your pet to drink. Take your dog for a stroll and you will burn 314KJ.
Bring your kids to the park for a game of tag, ball games or hopscotch. If you are game, you can try the monkey bars or even the swings, which are great for leg toning. 10 minutes with the kids and you will blast 259KJ.
It’s definitely better to stand than to be sitting the whole day. Try getting up every hour for a 2-5 minute to walk around the office instead.
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to understand that walking for 10 minutes is better than sitting on your butt for 5 minutes. As your fitness increases, start getting off earlier and earlier. Before you know it you’ll be walking all the way to and from work!
Hit the mall at a sale time for one hour and you are sure to burn 1088KJ. The faster you move, the more kilojoules you’ll burn.
Text: Bauer/ Good Health/ Additional Reporting: Shenielle Aloysis