Exercise has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I played sports, and now I train to compete in short- and medium-distance triathlons. (No Ironman for me!) I also incorporate fitness into time I spend with my family: We bike, hike, kayak, play catch or tennis, or kick around a soccer ball. Basically, being active is a habit, and when fitness is intertwined with your day-to-day, you not only get trim and healthy, you stay that way for life.
So do something (anything!) active most days to burn extra calories and lose weight. Dropping calories is incredibly simple and can have residual benefits. Vacuuming, for example, burns as many as a slow walk on a treadmill, plus yields a spotless carpet. Think about that the next time you put off doing chores. Check out these other sneaky ways to stay fit:
Burn, baby, burn on the weekends
• Walk at a sightseeing pace (2 mph): 161 calories an hour. Keep abs tight during the walk to help tone them.
• Mow the lawn (30 minutes): 177 calories
• Push a cart around the grocery store (45 minutes): 121 calories
• Plant in your garden: 290 calories per hour (Plus it strengthens your arms and back.)
• Rearrange your living room furniture (30 minutes): 193 calories
• Pack the car for a trip (15 minutes): 56 calories
Work it on workdays
• Go casual: Study participants took 80 percent more steps (translating to 25 extra calories) when they wore jeans to the office versus dressy clothes, research from the University of Wisconsin at La Crosse reveals.
• Stand and deliver: Simply staying on your feet revs metabolism and doubles your calorie burn for the day, a study in Diabetes reports. Sitting for a few hours switches off enzymes that capture fat in the bloodstream, but rising reignites them. So try surrendering your seat when possible.
• Take a fitness break: Instead of a coffee run, jog or walk up three flights of stairs—approximately 12 steps per flight. Walk back down; repeat nine times to burn a quick 100 calories.
* All calories above are based on 135-pound woman, but the heavier you are, the more calories you'll burn.
See how many calories you burned today: Go to Self.com's calorie calculator.
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