What Counts As Exercise? 10 Daily Activities You’re Already Doing

Only 23% of American adults meet all guidelines for weekly exercise, according to Centers for Disease Control and Preventioneven though studies have found that people understand the health benefits of exercise and I want to exercise more.

So what gives? There are many reasons why people don’t exercise more. You may be short on time or energy, or you may not have the gear or equipment you feel you need.

But as long as you can imagine Sneakerssports bras and weight benches when you think of “exercise”, no to have a go to the gym to meet CDC guidelines for physical activity. In fact, the CDC’s 2018 National Health Statistics report, which contains that 23% statistic, doesn’t mention the word “exercise” even once. Instead, it’s about physical activity and movement, whether for work, play or as prescribed by a doctor.

For most of human history, physical activity has been incorporated into people’s daily lives in the form of work and chores. These days, people spend much more time sitting on sofas, desk chairs, and cars. But our lives still require physical movement every day, and it may be easier to meet your daily exercise quota with activities you need to do anyway (like mowing the lawn) than setting aside extra time for a dedicated workout.

Rethinking your idea of ​​exercise could inspire you to be even more active, and you won’t necessarily miss out if you skip the gym in favor of sweeping. This is what you should know.

Can daily activities really count as exercise?

Short answer: Yes. “Your body can’t tell the difference between bending over to pull out a weed and bending over to lift a kettlebell,” he explains. Robert S Herbstpersonal trainer and world weightlifting champion.

Experts divide exercise into two categories: formal exercise and informal exercise. According to Mike Murphy, owner and head physiotherapist at Ireland’s QUICK Clinically, most people don’t see casual exercise as real exercise. “This may be because casual exercise is hard to quantify — an hour of walking seems easier to quantify than cleaning the house. But the reality is that many everyday tasks consume much more energy than light exercise,” Murphy said.

“Going up and down stairs every day, shopping, carrying things, hanging clothes to dry, etc. All of these activities add up and over weeks and months can significantly influence our energy balance (significantly contributing to increased weight or weight loss),” he continued.

In fact, even some formal training intentionally imitate the “primary movement patterns that represent our daily lifelong movement patterns” such as squatting, pushing, pulling, and twisting, as well as Brian Nunez, Nike master trainer and performance coach, says so. These programs are known as “functional training.” Meanwhile, an exercise regimen that involves everyday activities rather than formal exercise is also called NEAT exercise or non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

So, in short, don’t discount all the physical activities you do without intending to exercise. Non-exercise activities are a great way to not only improve your health, but also to complete tasks more easily and reduce your risk of injury (no more pulled muscles carrying groceries).

Here are 10 everyday activities that count as exercise, according to the experts.

Garden or lawn care

Anyone who has mowed a lawn by hand in the middle of summer knows what a real workout it is. Nunez explains, “In addition to the low impact and cardiovascular benefits, mowing requires a lot of primary functional movement patterns in the installation, mowing, and cleanup process.”

Other types of yard work that are great exercise include gardening, weeding, shoveling snow or leaves, and much more.

running some errands

Who says your daily hour-long walk can’t be through the aisles of Target? Seriously, errands often involve a lot of walking, carrying, lifting, and other movement.

Cleaning the house

Cleaning the house can involve a wide range of physical movements: going up and down stairs, carrying things from one room to another, pushing and pulling the mop or broom, and more.

Walking the dog

Need we say more? You may be busiest getting your pup to exercise during his daily walk, but don’t forget that he’s taking his step at the time, too.

Walking, anywhere

you may have heard that sitting for long periods of time is bad for you. But getting up and moving your body every 30 minutes is helpful, and walking is great exercise, period, whether it’s to the mailbox, down the hall to greet your co-worker, or to grab a snack.

The ‘I’m late’ sprint

If you use public transportation regularly, you probably get a lot of light-to-moderate intensity activity throughout your days just by taking the bus or train. And if you’re late and have to jog a bit, that’s a lot more effort spent.

playing with children

Do you have children in your life? Engaging in their game, rather than watching from the nearest couch or bench, will take your breath away pretty quickly.

Dancing

Maybe you like to go out dancing, or maybe you’re more of a “pajamas solo dance party” type. Either way, know that dancing can be a full-body workout and a great cardio workout as well.

Laugh

Have you ever heard of “laughter yoga”? A 2014 study found that laughter yoga is a better exercise for the abs than sit-ups or back-raise exercises. So the more humor you find in your day, the better.

having sex

sexual activity is also moderate intensity training. Although of course it depends on the specific activity, use even more energy than weight training.

For more information on how to stay fit without going to the gym, learn how to know if you are healthy without tools or tests Y what vitamins should you take.

The information contained in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended as health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified health care provider regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.