The 12 Ways of Fitness

Written by Gennifer Strobo, IFBB Pro Tuesday, 10 January 2012 15:42

Now that we’ve all made it through the 12 days of Christmas and 2012 has begun, I thought it’d be best to see if we could find 12 new ways to get rid of some of that extra little something we added on over the past 12 months.

There are numerous ways to burn extra calories without taking too much effort or time from your already hectic schedule.  Here are 12 “not in the gym” ways to start with.

1. Ditch the Cart: Grab a basket at the grocery store and tote your food.  This extra weight in your arms makes your body have to exert more energy which equals more calories burned.

2. Wide Open Spaces: Park farther away from the store.  This takes only an extra minute or two both ways and can add up to more calories burned by the end of the week.

3. TV Time:  Don’t think of it as a commercial break, think of it as a 3-minute calorie burn.  That’s plenty of time to do a couple sets of crunches, squats, lunges or mountain climbers.  Try doing one exercise throughout one entire commercial.  Switch to another exercise when the next commercial comes on, and so on and so forth.

4. Walk the Dog:  Instead of just letting the dog out, take him on a brisk walk.  Not only will this keep that furnace of yours burning calories, it’s proven to refresh and calm you after a hectic day at work.

5. Clean it Up: Take back your house from the holidays.  30 minutes of house cleaning burns approximately 80 calories.

6. Be a Player:  Play a game with your kids; duck-duck-goose, leap frog, or throw the ball back and forth.  Not only will you burn extra calories, but that bonding time with your children is priceless.

7. The Kissing Game:  30 minutes of kissing that special someone accounts for another 30 calories.  Plus, all that kissing could lead to even more of a calorie burn in the bedroom.

8. Rise and Shine: Commit to 10 minutes first thing in the morning of exercise.  Jog in place, jump rope, push-ups, chair dips, etc.  This will not only burn over 100 calories but it will make you more alert through the rest of your day.

9. Take a Stand:  Stand whenever you can; while working at your computer, reading the paper, during a meeting.  An extra hour of standing a day could burn another 40-50 calories.

10. Laugh at Yourself: 10-15 minutes of laughter a day can burn another 40 calories.

11. Please Remain Seated:  Stay seated at work and do isometric exercises.  Squeeze your legs and hold for 30 seconds, do again for abs, chest or shoulders.  Complete 3 sets of each body part each day.  It’s a great stress relief too.

12. Sleep it off: Getting fewer than 4 hours of sleep per night slows your metabolism.  It’s recommended that you get between 6-8 hours every night.  You can burn over 400 calories sleeping so make sure you get what you need!

As you can see there are many fun and easy ways to burn some extra calories in your day.  It's always possible to burn off those extra calories and speed up your metabolism.  Keeping that body moving a little more each day may seem very insignificant but it will all add up to a healthier and lighter you.  So don’t just sit on the couch while you’re talking on the phone, move around, take laps around the couch or walk up and down your stairs.  Better yet, ask your friend to meet you at the park and go for a walk.  Getting to the gym or working in some cardio in your day burns more calories and has many healthy side-effects.  Building muscle makes your body work harder enabling you to use more energy and burn more calories.  On average, gaining just 1 pound of muscle burns an additional 50 calories every day!

Try some of these tips or find your own ways to get moving a little more each day and you will be amazed at how good you feel.

Until next time, try and be “Better than Yesterday”!


Gennifer Strobo
IFBB Pro Figure Athlete
FMG Athlete
Eric Favre Sport Sponsored Athlete
Team Bombshell Instructor / bombshellfitness.com
Glamour Athlete Photography Booking Agent
Fit Girl Magazine
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Twitter: @gennid76
Facebook
For appearances, sponsorship, modeling, etc.: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

 

 

 

This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it