drtbear1967
Musclechemistry Board Certified Member
by Matt Weik
Society is getting lazier with each passing day, which is driving up the obesity statistics in the United States. Don’t be a statistic, take control of your life. Even if you don’t have a gym membership, there are things you can do throughout the day that will help you burn off some extra calories. This article will cover some of the things you can implement into your daily routine that will allow you to expend some energy and burn calories.
1. Be a kid again
Playing with your kids is a great way to burn off some calories. If they are old enough to go out and play in the yard or throw ball, head out with them. If they are still young and crawling or barely walking around the house, then get on the floor and chase after them on all fours. Have fun and be goofy. You won’t even know you have your heart rate elevated and are burning calories because you’re enjoying time playing.
2. Green thumb
When the weather turns nice and you want your landscaping to look good, you need to get out there and take care of it. Overgrown or completely bare landscaping is not a good look and has terrible curb appeal. Now I’m not saying you need to go drop thousands of dollars to outdo all of your neighbors, but plant some flowers and plants around your house, maybe dig a hole and put in a tree. Sprucing up your yard is a great way to burn calories. Then when fall comes around, raking up all the leaves and cleaning out the flowerbeds can have you burning calories with each change of the season.
3. Challenge your buddies to a pick-up game
Remember when you were a kid and you were playing sports with your buddies and you just never seemed to get tired because you were having too much fun? Well, that same theory applies to this day. Gather up some of your friends for a pick-up basketball game after work. Head over to someone’s house who has a hoop or meet at a park and play for an hour or so. Or better yet, join a recreation league and let your inner Lebron out.
4. Take a hike
There’s something about being out in nature for a hike that makes it extremely enjoyable and not like “exercise.” Grab your family and hit the trails, or better yet, make your own trail. Be sure to remember which way you came from though so you know how to get back to the car to head home. Pack some water and some snacks in a backpack and you’re good. Go out and explore nature and an area you’ve never hiked before. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved, even the kids since they are always curious and adventurous.
5. Head to the playground
If you have kids, take them to a playground and run around with them. chase them around the swing set and push them in the swings. If they are older, make a game out of the jungle gym if they have one. See who can make it from point A to point B fastest. Swing across the monkey bars, pull yourself up the ladder, and shimmy down the slide. Playgrounds aren’t just for kids, they’re for adults who are still kids at heart and enjoy having fun.
6. Put the phone down and stop emailing
Technology is making us all lazy. Why get up from your desk when you can call or email your associate? It’s for that reason that many people are battling the bulge these days. Everyone takes the easy way out. Get up from your desk and walk over to your associates office or cubicle and talk to them about the topic you were going to call/email about. It’s good to get up throughout the day and move around. It keeps the blood circulating, can help clear the mental fog you might be in, and also burns some extra calories you don’t want to hold on to.
7. Use the steps
Remember those things that you had to walk up to go from one floor to the other? Yea, the steps. Those things. Use them. Stop being so lazy and rather than using the elevator or escalator that you always use, hit the stairs. It’s good exercise and gets your heart rate up a little to make sure you’re still alive. We all go through life on cruise control when we can and using things like the elevator allow us to be complacent and like a walking zombie. Show you still have a pulse by hitting the stairs and getting yourself a little out of breath. It’s good for you.
8. Walking meetings
This is such a cool concept that I wish I would have implemented it at previous employers before I started my own business, Weik Fitness. It’s the concept of taking your meetings from the boardroom to the pavement. Now, if you have a group of 20+ people, it might be a little difficult to get everyone outside and in a setting where everyone can hear what you are saying and understand what’s going on in the meeting. But, if you have a handful of people that you’d normally be sitting around a desk brainstorming or going over ideas, take it outside and enjoy the weather with some walking. It’s a great way to break free from the daily grind in the office, get some fresh air, and burn some calories with your colleagues.
Society is getting lazier with each passing day, which is driving up the obesity statistics in the United States. Don’t be a statistic, take control of your life. Even if you don’t have a gym membership, there are things you can do throughout the day that will help you burn off some extra calories. This article will cover some of the things you can implement into your daily routine that will allow you to expend some energy and burn calories.
1. Be a kid again
Playing with your kids is a great way to burn off some calories. If they are old enough to go out and play in the yard or throw ball, head out with them. If they are still young and crawling or barely walking around the house, then get on the floor and chase after them on all fours. Have fun and be goofy. You won’t even know you have your heart rate elevated and are burning calories because you’re enjoying time playing.
2. Green thumb
When the weather turns nice and you want your landscaping to look good, you need to get out there and take care of it. Overgrown or completely bare landscaping is not a good look and has terrible curb appeal. Now I’m not saying you need to go drop thousands of dollars to outdo all of your neighbors, but plant some flowers and plants around your house, maybe dig a hole and put in a tree. Sprucing up your yard is a great way to burn calories. Then when fall comes around, raking up all the leaves and cleaning out the flowerbeds can have you burning calories with each change of the season.
3. Challenge your buddies to a pick-up game
Remember when you were a kid and you were playing sports with your buddies and you just never seemed to get tired because you were having too much fun? Well, that same theory applies to this day. Gather up some of your friends for a pick-up basketball game after work. Head over to someone’s house who has a hoop or meet at a park and play for an hour or so. Or better yet, join a recreation league and let your inner Lebron out.
4. Take a hike
There’s something about being out in nature for a hike that makes it extremely enjoyable and not like “exercise.” Grab your family and hit the trails, or better yet, make your own trail. Be sure to remember which way you came from though so you know how to get back to the car to head home. Pack some water and some snacks in a backpack and you’re good. Go out and explore nature and an area you’ve never hiked before. It’s a great way to get the whole family involved, even the kids since they are always curious and adventurous.
5. Head to the playground
If you have kids, take them to a playground and run around with them. chase them around the swing set and push them in the swings. If they are older, make a game out of the jungle gym if they have one. See who can make it from point A to point B fastest. Swing across the monkey bars, pull yourself up the ladder, and shimmy down the slide. Playgrounds aren’t just for kids, they’re for adults who are still kids at heart and enjoy having fun.
6. Put the phone down and stop emailing
Technology is making us all lazy. Why get up from your desk when you can call or email your associate? It’s for that reason that many people are battling the bulge these days. Everyone takes the easy way out. Get up from your desk and walk over to your associates office or cubicle and talk to them about the topic you were going to call/email about. It’s good to get up throughout the day and move around. It keeps the blood circulating, can help clear the mental fog you might be in, and also burns some extra calories you don’t want to hold on to.
7. Use the steps
Remember those things that you had to walk up to go from one floor to the other? Yea, the steps. Those things. Use them. Stop being so lazy and rather than using the elevator or escalator that you always use, hit the stairs. It’s good exercise and gets your heart rate up a little to make sure you’re still alive. We all go through life on cruise control when we can and using things like the elevator allow us to be complacent and like a walking zombie. Show you still have a pulse by hitting the stairs and getting yourself a little out of breath. It’s good for you.
8. Walking meetings
This is such a cool concept that I wish I would have implemented it at previous employers before I started my own business, Weik Fitness. It’s the concept of taking your meetings from the boardroom to the pavement. Now, if you have a group of 20+ people, it might be a little difficult to get everyone outside and in a setting where everyone can hear what you are saying and understand what’s going on in the meeting. But, if you have a handful of people that you’d normally be sitting around a desk brainstorming or going over ideas, take it outside and enjoy the weather with some walking. It’s a great way to break free from the daily grind in the office, get some fresh air, and burn some calories with your colleagues.
