Everyone is well aware of the benefits of exercising. There couldn’t be more data available on why regular exercise is important. However, going to the gym regularly or making time for exercise can seem almost impossible when someone has an extremely busy schedule and conflicting priorities. The good news is that we probably get more exercise in our days than we think. When exercise is reformed to view all movement as good activity for the body, it becomes obvious that many everyday activities already count as exercise.
According to experts, getting your heart rate into the recommended “moderate” heart rate range doesn’t have to mean a full sweat session at the gym. 50 percent of target heart rate can be achieved by walking around the grocery store, helping a friend get moving, or hosting a midday dance party. Every intentional move counts.
Some formal workouts intentionally mimic the “primary movement patterns that represent our lifelong daily movement patterns,” such as squatting, pushing, pulling, and twisting. An exercise regimen that involves everyday activities rather than formal exercise is also called good exerciseor activity thermogenesis without exercise.
The Department of Health and Human Services recently updated its guidelines and no longer recommends that a person need to do 10 minutes of physical activity at a time. Rather, even small bits of activity are beneficial, such as taking the stairs, walking to a colleague’s desk instead of sending an email, or taking a five-minute break every hour. It’s important to focus on activities that give you energy and make you feel better.
Non-exercise activities are a great way to not only improve your health, but also complete tasks more easily and reduce your risk of injury.
Here are some daily activities that can be considered exercise.
Running some errands: Even if shopping online is very convenient, shopping in person can provide a very good cardio workout. Walking up and down the market hall can be counted as exercise very easily. Not only that, but it is also beneficial to carry the shopping basket or push the cart. Small, inconspicuous things like squatting or bending down to pull items from lower shelves, or reaching to get something from higher shelves are also great exercise.
Walking the dog: This one is self explanatory. A dog is not only an awesome companion in general, but also a great exercise partner. Everyone who has a dog is aware that it is important to take him for a walk so that he can exercise regularly. A simple walk around the block can be one of the best daily activities for mental and physical health. Not only can the walk do your body good, but the fresh air and sunshine can also improve your mood, not to mention it’s a great opportunity to spend some time with your pup and exercise them.
Cleaning the house: House cleaning can involve a wide range of physical movements, such as going up and down stairs, carrying things from one room to another, pushing and pulling the mop or broom, dusting out-of-reach areas, and scrubbing the bathtub of the bathroon. It helps as much as working out in a gym. Even ironing, washing dishes and vacuuming can burn up to 200 calories per hour.
Work in the garden: In addition to low impact and cardiovascular benefits, mowing requires a large number of primary functional movement patterns in the installation, mowing, and cleanup process. Using a push mower can help engage the core and quads. Even using a gas or electric lawnmower, you would still need to walk to mow the lawn, which in itself is exercise. Other yard work like gardening, weeding, and shoveling leaves also count as great exercise.
having sex: Sexual activity is also a moderate intensity exercise. Although of course it depends on the specific activity, it uses even more energy than weight training. Having sex can be equivalent to a brisk walk.
Dancing: Going out dancing with friends for a night, randomly starting to dance upon hearing your favorite song, or even dancing alone inside your own room can all be counted as exercise. It’s not just Zumba classes that are considered exercise. Dancing is a great way to get a full-body workout and is also a great cardio workout.
Laugh: ‘Laughter yoga’ is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides similar physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter. A 2014 study found that laughter yoga is a better abdominal workout than sit-ups or back-raise exercises. It involves various movement and breathing exercises to promote intentional laughter.
Up the stairs: It is well known that one of the “healthy tricks” is to take the stairs instead of the elevator. Parking in the furthest spot in the building and taking the stairs up to the office is a great idea to sneak in a little exercise. A few minutes of walking and climbing can burn up to 50 calories, enough to offset eating a handful of chips for lunch!
