YOUR OWN O

WBY MARY WILSON

Burning Calories Without Feeling The Burn

You don’t have to join a gym, hire a trainer or even participate in any specific “work out” activity to reap the benefits of exercise. The only real requirement for physical fitness? Get moving!

We all know getting exercise is important. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests adults need 150 minutes of moderate-level exercise weekly plus strength training. But with all the modernday demands on our time, visiting the gym or pressing play on that 30-minute streaming workout program can feel nearly impossible. But, good news: There are plenty of easy, enjoyable ways to incorporate extra calorieburning activities into everyday life — no subscription or membership required.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) suggests adults need 150 minutes of moderatelevel exercise weekly plus strength training.

LET THE RHYTHM GET YOU: Music is therapeutic. Listening to a playlist of favorite songs releases endorphins that make you feel happy and lower stress and anxiety. And burning calories is as simple as singing along. So, belt it out in the shower. Warm up your vocal chords on the commute to work. To really increase music’s calorieburning power, turn your living room into a dance floor. Teach your kids the Electric Slide or the Wobble. Ask them to show you how to Floss. Not familiar with those? Search dance moves on YouTube and dance the night away!

RACK UP THE STEPS:

Walking is the perfect aerobic exercise, and opportunities to increase your daily step count abound. Tell Netflix to chill on autoplay and walk around the house in between episodes of the latest binge-worthy show. If most weekday nights find you at a ballfield or stadium, take a short walk at the end of each inning or quarter. Instead of unloading groceries in one trip, make it two or three. Or adopt a dog and enjoy all the exercise you get together!

ADD TO CART, IN-PERSON:

We all love the convenience of online shopping, but spending time inside a brick-and-mortar store gives retail therapy an added benefit—exercise! Pushing a shopping cart and picking up items for 30 minutes means you’ll wave goodbye to 100 calories. Don’t forget to park far away from the store entrance for a few extra steps. Really amp it up by wearing ankle weights or a weighted vest.

Hitting your move goal doesn't mean you have to hit the pavement. Movement in any way is forward progress.

BRING BACK BACKYARD GAMES:

Remember childhood, when you’d spend endless hours in the backyard playing games with friends? With a small investment at a sporting goods store and a little outdoor space, you can create new memories and resurrect fun pastimes like croquet, frisbee or badminton. Just 10 minutes of jumping rope burns up to 100 calories. Mix in a 10-minute hula hooping contest and a friendly game of horseshoes, and you have a circuit training program everyone can enjoy.

MANICURE YOUR LAWN AND GARDEN:

Southern lawns require year-round work, which also means yearround opportunities for exercise. Spend 30 minutes on intensive gardening, like planting, pulling weeds and mulching, and you’ll expend 180 calories. The same goes for mowing with a push lawnmower—and that doesn’t even take into account the extra energy required to weed-eat and edge. Plus, a half hour of raking and bagging leaves or thatch burns 150 calories.

SKIP THE CAR WASH LINE: Washing your car at home burns some serious calories, especially if you own a big truck or SUV. Scrubbing every exterior surface provides a full-body workout, from shoulders and abs to glutes and calves. Plus, vacuuming the entire interior can test your flexibility and balance. For every 30 minutes spent cleaning or waxing, expect to spend nearly 200 calories. Think outside the conference room: Work — whether in an office or at home — often means eight hours behind a desk, staring at screens. Burning calories in this environment takes intention. When possible, scrap the conference room, and opt for a standing meeting instead. Install a standing desk, or use a stability ball as a chair for 10 minutes every hour. While on a call, walk around, and don’t sit down until you hang up.

CLEAN UP: Laundry, dusting, vacuuming —as you check these off the to-do list, you’re also burning calories. When you really put elbow grease into deep cleaning, you can burn up to 180 calories in 30 minutes. So, stop putting off mopping, cleaning windows or organizing closets. Embrace those “spring cleaning” tasks a little early this year and claim them as your daily workout. Bonus—get strength training out of the way by gathering unwanted items into bags or boxes and carrying those donations to your car.

LAUGH OUT LOUD: It may sound ridiculous, but laughter is great exercise. It makes your abdomen, face, and diaphragm muscles expand and contract. It increases your heart rate. And it makes you forget about anxieties and stressors. Start your day off by reading a joke. Enjoy a game night of charades or Pictionary with family and friends. Watch that movie that always makes you snort-laugh, and have the best calorie-burning time ever!

DUST OFF AN OLD HOBBY: Exercise is easier when it’s disguised as something we enjoy. Take hiking, which offers beautiful scenery, fresh air and a heckuva leg workout. Or bowling—you get team camaraderie, the challenge of beating your personal best and stronger arms. Cooking at home, playing an instrument and drawing all burn more calories than just watching TV. Think back to an activity you used to love and find time once a week to pick it up again. Look to burn anywhere from 80 to 150 calories per half hour.