Ideally, adults should exercise at least 30 minutes a day, five days a week.  This doesn’t necessarily mean you need to be running or lifting weights every day.  One of the most important tenants of a successful fitness plan is to do something you enjoy.  If you are finding it hard to squeeze in some daily exercise, consider your daily activities and take them up a notch.  There is even a scientific acronym for this principle:  Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or NEAT.  It’s the energy we use for everyday activities, from walking up stairs to grocery shopping, that turn mundane activities into calorie burning opportunities—no gym required. 

We might not work up a sweat while shopping or doing housework, but every minute we’re not lounging on the couch is another step closer to a healthy lifestyle.   

For many years, it was suggested that we had to be active for at least 10 minutes at a time for the activity to count toward physical activity.  However, recent studies published in the American Journal of Health Promotion are causing some people to reconsider these dated beliefs.  Researchers looked at physical activity in adults between the ages of 18 and 64 and found that both long and short bouts of higher-intensity exercise were associated with lower body mass index (BMI) and reduced risk of obesity.

These findings suggest that we should take advantage of our daily activities to get exercise.   By tackling everyday tasks with a little creativity, the tedious to-do list can turn into a resourceful fitness plan. 

• Shop around. Whether it’s shopping for groceries or clothing, shopping includes walking, and walking burns calories (an estimated 120 to 150 per half hour).  Ready to take it to the next level?  Park as far away from the store’s entrance as possible and just say “no” to elevators and escalators.  
• Take the stairs.  Whether you’re at work, shopping, or traveling, embrace the stairs.  Taking the stairs burns more calories per minute than jogging.  In addition, it is a great workout for legs and glutes.

• Clean house. Vacuuming, sweeping, or dusting earns burns around 150 calories an hour and it is more enjoyable with good music in the background.  Get creative and add some moves to get a little added benefit like adding some isometrics by contracting your glutes while you dust.   

• Sit tight. Sitting in class, meetings, or at a desk doesn’t burn many calories, but add some isometrics by tightening the core and butt, hold, release, and repeat. 

• Stop hop. Get off the bus or metro one stop early and get in some extra mileage.  Walking burns around 135 calories every half hour. 

• Wax on, wax off. Washing the car burns 135 calories in 30 minutes. Add some 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.

While traditional aerobic activity and strength training are the keys to physical fitness, taking these everyday activities to the next level will augment your fitness routine and help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.