Exercise Without Exercising

You can actually get some exercising done without setting time aside and without going to the gym or wherever. You can even lose pounds and inches and not even realize it. I'm not talking about some kind of miracle mumbo jumbo, just an alternate way of doing things in your daily life. Here's the scoop.

Plan ahead a bit...and get on the road to a "new you" with minimum hassle and a just a bit of planning:

• Park at the end of the parking lot. Stop looking for spaces right at the entrance. There is also the added benefit of keeping down the number of possible door dings to your car, and most likely, you won't have to hunt for parking either.

• Keep it parked far away. If you are in a place with errand running in one area....just keep your car where it is!
  

• Take the stairs. Stay away from elevators and escalators and anything mechanical. You really can get a great workout, even if it's only for a few minutes, walking up a flight of stairs...or two.

• Do two things at once. This may seem silly, but go ahead and do squats or toe lifts while on the phone or brushing your hair or teeth. Let the person on the other end think what they may.

• Dance while dusting. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit it, but I jump around to music when I have to dust or even vacuum...what a workout!

• Play outside with your kids. We went to the park this past weekend and played catch, hit the baseball and had a great time. Burn calories, burn baby!
  

• Walk the longest route. Don't walk the most direct route if you are walking somewhere. Plan ahead so you have the time to do this. You may find something interesting and worthwhile going the other way.

• Take a dance class. Our YMCA offers low-cost dance classes. In light of "Dancing with the Stars" and some of the other shows out there...do you listen to the interviews with some of those ladies? They always talk about how much weight they lost and how fit they feel (and look). Granted, there can be a steep learning curve for some of those steps...but hey, if you are at your local YMCA or community center, who cares? You're moving and you're grooving.

• Do some yoga or some other Eastern kind of meditating. You're not physically jumping around and feeling like you're exercising (ie torturing yourself)...but you are exercising AND losing weight AND getting fit AND doing something for your brain too in the process.

• Set something up with your friends. I don't know about you, but when I gossip with my friends, I don't even realize how the time flies. Imagine walking while you are doing this. You'll walk two miles before you even realize what happened and how you got there. You also have the added benefit of keeping each other accountable. No one likes to disappoint a friend, and most of us would show up to walk, rather than call a friend and make excuses why we couldn't make it.

• Do some yardwork. Yardwork can build some serious muscle! Your lawn and garden will also be the envy of the neighborhood. No need to know what you're doing! I get library books for tips, and we even have a county extention program that offers classes from composting, to building a rain barrel to maintaining your lawn.

• Chair aerobics. Even if you are sitting, hold in your gut...then let it out...do umpteen repetitions of that. Leg lifts work great from a chair. You can also squeeze a tennis ball at your desk. What a stress reliever to boot!
  

• Housework. I know you didn't want to hear this one...but listen, two weeks ago, I actually scrubbed our tile floor. I realized they are actually supposed to be lighter in color than they were....ooops. It felt good, and I got something else done in the process.

What do you do to get more out of your day?