5 Simple Things You Do Every Day That Count As Exercise

The blog at My Fitness Pal just published a really cool article about all the ways we're actually exercising while doing every day activities.

Who knew carrying the baby in one arm and continually bending over to pick up toys counted as exercise? Isn't that amazing?

Here's the scoop:

According to new research, these activities can help with weight management and actually count toward recommended exercise guidelines. (The Center for Disease Control suggests two-and-a-half hours of aerobic activity every week, along with muscle strengthening activities on two or more of those days.)

We might not work up a sweat while shopping or doing housework, but every minute when we’re not lounging on the couch is another step toward good health.

So which daily activities on your to-do list should you start counting towards your exercise goals?

• Shop around. Whether it’s shopping for groceries or a new pair of shoes, shopping means walking, and walking burns calories (we’re talking 120 to 150 per half hour). Ready to boost the burn? Park as far away from the store’s entrance as possible to add some distance to the walk, and just say no to elevators and escalators.

• Clean house. Vacuuming, sweeping, or Swiffering is good for 150 calories per hour. So throw on the tunes, add in some moves like Jagger, and blast away those dust bunnies and a few extra cals. Next, move that mountain of laundry by holding the basket in front of the body and twisting the torso side to side.

• Shake and bake. Thirty minutes of chopping veggies or washing pots and pans may only burn around 75 calories, but add in some gluteus maximus isometrics (read: squeezing the butt), and the backside gets a workout, too. And don’t forget to ditch the electric mixer. Stirring the batter by hand will give the arm muscles some extra love

• Stop hop. Getting off the bus or train one stop early is an easy way to go the extra mile (and did we mention walking can burn around 120 calories per half hour?).

• Wax on, wax off. Washing the car can burn 135 calories in 30 minutes. Add in a few sets of calf raises to reach the roof of the car, along with a few sets of squats to wash the tires and the legs get a workout, too.

Now I have another great excuse to get outdoors and wash my car… and I'll let you know how those isometrics work while I'm making dinner tonight.

Got any great ideas to add to the list? Tell us what else we need to include in the comment section.

Oh, and don't forget to check out some great ways to get “extra credit” in the complete article from My Fitness Pal!