What are some non-traditional or incidental things I could do that would count a

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   Laura Schneiderposted 12 years ago

   What are some non-traditional or incidental things I could do that would count as "exercise"?
   
   I hate exercise, but obviously it's necessary. What are some non-traditional or incidental things I could do that would count as "exercise"?

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   icountthetimesposted 12 years ago

   I often leave it late to catch buses and trains, so when I'm franatically running after realising that I'm running late, it's certainly some of the best exercise I get. I'd say that's more acidental than non-traditional or incidental though. Things like cleaening the house and walking the dog count too I guess.

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   cobrienposted 12 years ago

   Take the stairs, walk the dog,plant a garden, play with the kids, go hiking with the husband, volunteer, take a dance class, walk to the corner store instead of driving.

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   sunasia22posted 12 years ago

   If you want to take things a little easier, bowling, long walks or gardening make good exercise.  I usually get off the bus one stop away from our house and walk the rest of the way.  At the office, I don't use the phone to talk to the person in the next room, I usually get up and go over to his office instead.  These are some of the non-strenous things I do that count as exercise.

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   MickSposted 12 years ago

   Use those two things hanging from your bum and walk as much as possible

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   Coyoterainmakerposted 12 years ago

   Laura
   Please remember one thing: Exercise is SIMPLY movement and stillness..honestly that's how to look at it..you don't hate exercise, because you hike and probably take your dog for a walk. The deciding factor in all exercises is just the speed of the exercise and the length of the stillness.
   
   Can you put some music on and DANCE?..that's exercise..especially if you dance like nobody's watching..
   
   Would it be ok to send you a routine I've put together for writers or my chair-bound
   clients..?
   
   Laura..ask yourself 3 questions:
   
   1.How much do I REALLY want to "exercise"?
   How much do I REALLY want to move?
   If I woke up tomorrow and "magically" felt fitter and healthier than I do today.
   How would that feel?
   
   2. What resources do I have?
   Friends to walk with regularly..
   A dog to take out more often, for longer or faster..
   Stairs at work..
   Room to dance..do tai chi/yoga..
   A nearby studio and supportive instructor..
   
   3. If I have the desire and these resources..Do I give myself permission to begin the process of feeling fitter and healthier?
   
   Laura, you write that "obviously it's necessary." So, what are the reasons stopping you from moving?
   Past negative responses..from others or from yourself?
   
   Everyone exercises unless they are completely paralysed, everyone moves. It's just that we don't think of it as exercise..so we don't do it as often as we could. Also, we don't stretch after walking the dog..because we don't see it as our exercise. Just move Laura..then do it more often and call it EXERCISE.

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   B. Fergusonposted 12 years ago

   Obviously walking any chance you get. Park further away at the grocery store. Take public transportation and walk to the bus stop or train station. If you live in the city, walk to work. Always opt for the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. Stand up and walk around whenever you are on the phone.
   
   Building lean muscle and doing cardio exercises is what you really should be doing though. The activities above are much better than being sedentary, but they still fall short of the type of exercise your body needs.

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   mlchristopherposted 12 years ago

   Hi Laura. Many people don't enjoy "traditional" exercise, so I'm glad you're thinking out of the box a little. Any movement is great and will keep you healthier and burn calories. That being said, there are two important things you may not get from incidental movement - resistance and an elevated heart rate.
   
   I could write several pages about these two things alone, but I'll keep it short. As we age, we lose muscle mass, which leads to degeneration of the bones and joints. Finding activities which provide enough resistance to keep the muscle you have is vital to long term health. One great way to acomplish this without weights would be Yoga. Yoga requires that you support your body weight in various positions that stimulates all of the muscles of the body.
   
   Elevating the heart rate is equally imprtant for the health of your cardiorespiratory system. You should strive to elevate the heart rate to around 70-75% of your estimated maximum at least 3 times per week. It's not that hard to do, walking with an intentionally brisk pace will often do the trick. You can even kick your walks up a notch by stopping to jog in place or do a few jumping jacks. This is a technique I use to get the heart pumping when going for a walk.
   
   I hope this helps. The botom line is: do what you enjoy! Keep these two pointers in mind and you'll get even better results no matter what you decide to do.

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   Matthew Ryczkoposted 12 years ago

   Ok, walking and making more excuses to walk more is an obvious one, but I would say that one easy way to adopt a more active lifestyle is to throw the concept of convenience out the window completely. Mow your own grass, shovel snow for all your neighbors, learn how to cook everything from scratch, move all the furniture and vacuum everywhere... whatever you can put more physical labor into in your daily life will add up. Also, I recommend walking everywhere within a mile (when safe to do so), biking everywhere within 5 miles and not using your car unless you're transporting kids or going a long distance. Hope that helps

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    shorty72posted 12 years ago

    I noticed in your profile that you have a dog just take him for a walk for half an hour every day . That way you are spending time with your lab and geting that bit of excerise as well. I have just started doing that with our dog and she loves it.I also noticed you like hiking do that every now an then as well with friends.

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    Marcy Goodfleischposted 12 years ago

    Hmmm - well, I've seen people who practice Jumping to Conclusions in a business setting. I'm not sure how much weight they lost, but it sure kept the rest of us shaking enough to burn a few calories.  Just teasing here - I hate exercise, too; wish I knew some passive ways to lose weight!

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    Dr Kavita Shaikhposted 12 years ago

    Studies reveal that a person weighing 150 pounds can effectively burn off 84.6 calories, merely by continuing to vacuum the house for 30 minutes at a stretch. So you can get fit and save money on the cleaning service too.
    
    Don’t want to get dirty? Never mind- iron your clothes and clean the dishes, and you use up 76.5 calories in every 30 minutes.
    
    You spend 30 minutes in vacuuming the floor and 30 minutes to clean the dishes and 30 minutes to iron the clothes, and you have 245.7 calories off your system, isn’t that great?
    
    Use the stairs to get to your office, park your car a few feet away from where you usually do, so that you can walk up to the destination; rake the leaves lying stranded in your backyard, mow up the garden, play with your kids, walk them to school, walk to the neighboring grocery store, start a garden, do the laundry.
    
    Do what ever you please (from the above list of course) but see to it that your movements are brisk and quick, and carried on for at least 30 minutes.
    
    Here is the best exercise that no one gets bored of doing- Have passionate sex
    
    All these tips were initially written by me as an article with the title 'How To Make Daily Chores Into A Workout'
    
    Hope this helps.

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    DzyMsLizzyposted 12 years ago

    I HATE exercises.  For me, it MUST be "playtime," and "oh, by the way--this is good exercise."
    
    In that category, then, are swimming, in-line skating, roller skating, ice skating, bike riding, taking a rowboat for a spin, rock climbing, golf and other fun stuff along those lines.

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    edartyposted 12 years ago

    If you like to dance at all, signing up for classes would be a good way to exercise without actually feeling like you are exercising. I do Zumba, and it's always upbeat and they update the music. Don't worry about looking good doing it either, because when you look around, you realize everyone else is no pro!

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    KrystalDposted 12 years ago

    I love this question! Getting regular exercise is a difficult thing in the life of busy adults. I find incidental exercise to be the easiest way to work. Here are a few things I have tried:
    1. Walking instead of driving if something is less than a mile away.
    2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
    3. If you have children around, play with them! They are full of energy and you barely feel like you are exercising when you are wrapped in their joy
    4. Clean you house. Did you know sweeping, mopping, vacuuming, dusting and washing dishes all burn calories?
    5. Skip movie night for a Saturday/Sunday morning hike.

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    TheRunningHamsterposted 12 years ago

    Hello Laura,
    
    I don't blame you for not wanting to exercise in a traditional way. Most people hate exercise. It's completely understandable.
    
    One thing that helped motivate me to exercise more and get into better shape was to make a game out of exercising. Find a partner that can help motivate you, and see who can do the most. The loser has to buy the winner lunch, or something along those lines.
    
    I found that making a game out of exercise was one of the most effective ways for me to become more fit and healthy.
    
    Best of luck to you!

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    greatstuffposted 12 years ago

    Incidental exercise is one of the best ways to get back in shape when you hate to exercise read more

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