Practical Exercise: Keeping Fit Through Everyday Activities
Hey there, have you ever felt like keeping up with a regular exercise routine is just impossible?
Between work, family, and all the little things that demand our attention, finding time to hit the gym or go for a run can feel like an uphill battle.
But what if I told you that exercise doesn't have to be confined to the treadmill or the weight room?
In fact, you can keep your body in shape and improve your health simply by incorporating practical exercise into your daily routine.
The Challenge of Daily Exercise
We all know how important regular exercise is for our health.
It boosts our mood, give us more energy, strengthens our muscles and bones, and reduces the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease.
However, in today's fast-paced world, finding the time and motivation to exercise can be tough. Long work hours, family commitments, and a never-ending to-do list often leave us feeling exhausted and strapped for time.
Barriers to Traditional Exercise
Traditional forms of exercise, such as going to the gym or attending fitness classes, can be daunting for many people.
They may feel intimidated by the gym environment, unsure of where to start.
Cost can sometimes be the issue, financially or time-wise. For others, they may just dislike it or find it boring. The result? Many of us end up putting our health on the back burner.
Embracing Practical Exercise
But here's the good news: practical exercise offers a flexible and achievable alternative. By integrating physical activity into our daily tasks and hobbies, we not only stay productive but also reap the benefits of exercise without the need for special equipment or designated workout times.
Examples of Practical Exercise
Here are some of the everyday activities that can help you stay physically fit while also being productive.
1. Gardening
Digging, planting, raking and weeding involve squatting, lifting, and stretching, which improve flexibility and strengthen muscles throughout your body. Soaking up vitamin D from the sun also boosts your mood and strengthens bones. Not to mention, in the end, you’ll have healthy, locally grown produce to eat and/or beautiful plants and flowers to admire.
2. Cleaning and Organizing
Vacuuming, sweeping, scrubbing floors, carrying laundry baskets, and re-arranging furniture provide a cardiovascular workout and tone muscles in your arms and legs. If you do these at a fast enough pace, you may find yourself sweating out those toxins!!
3. Walking or Cycling
Instead of driving short distances, consider walking or biking. These activities improve cardiovascular health, strengthen leg muscles, and are gentle on joints.
In addition, walking is known to improve your posture because it both engages your core muscles and helps to align your spine correctly.
This is especially important as many of us sit or stand in one position much of the day and our bodies need this “stretch”.
If you can, walk to run errands, grocery shop or go to work. At a fast enough pace, you’ll get your heart pumping. Also, carrying heavy bags will build your muscles. And if you start to sweat, even better, release those toxins!!
4. Dancing
Whether it's in your living room, at a social event, or even just going for a walk in nature, dancing improves coordination, boosts cardiovascular fitness, and lifts your spirits.
5. Mowing the Lawn
Pushing a lawn mower engages your leg muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, calves) and core while also providing a cardiovascular workout. It's a great way to stay active while maintaining your yard.
6. Painting or DIY Projects
Whether you're painting a room, building furniture, or doing home repairs, these activities involve lifting, reaching, and bending, which work various muscle groups such as arms, shoulders, and core.
7. Playing with Kids or Pets
Activities like playing tag, kicking a ball, or going for a walk with your kids or pets not only strengthen family bonds but also keep you moving. They improve cardiovascular health, agility, and coordination.
8. Household Chores
Everyday tasks such as washing windows, washing the car, shoveling snow (depending on your location), and carrying groceries engage different muscle groups and help burn calories.
9. Physical Jobs
If you really want to be in top physical shape, consider work that allows you to “work-out” all day. Occupations such as construction workers, landscapers, sanitation workers, fitness/gym instructors and warehouse personnel involve continuous physical activity. These jobs require lifting heavy objects, bending, twisting, and walking or standing for extended periods.
10. Family Time
Begin to incorporate more physical activities into your family time. Instead of watching TV after dinner, go for an evening walk together. Supposedly, that’s one of the reasons why French women don’t get fat, according to Mireille Guiliano’s book “French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure”.
Play catch, badminton, frisbee, croquet, soccer or anything else your family enjoys. This can be in your yard or at a local park.
Inspiring Stories of Practical Exercise
Once, when I was on a group trek in the mountains of Northern Thailand, I came across a much older lady. She was very tanned, extremely thin, probably your grandma’s age, yet carrying heavy wooden bundles on her back and wearing flip flops.
What I found extraordinary was that several people in our group were wearing proper footwear (e.g. hiking boots) and were far younger, yet they were panting heavily and had much more difficulty climbing the mountain than this older woman.
So why was it so easy for her? Well, she was used to it. Her body was used to this type of exercise. Perhaps she collected these wood bundles everyday to make a bit of money or used it to heat her home or cook her food. For her, walking these mountains in flip flops is just part of the daily, practical exercise that she does.
This encounter reminded me of the many stories I read about in Dan Buetnner’s “Blue Zones” where the author studies the longest lived people in the world. One commonality they shared was that they incorporated practical exercise into their lives daily…whether it was biking to visit family, taking care of a vegetable garden and harvesting their own food or tending to a flock of sheep.
Look around you and you’ll see, some of the most fit people in the world are fit because of the practical exercise they do as a natural part of their daily lives.
Staying on Track
To maintain momentum, start small and gradually increase your activity level.
Set realistic goals, such as gardening for 30 minutes a day or walking for 20 minutes after dinner.
Celebrate your successes and find joy in the process.
Remember, every little bit of movement counts towards a healthier you.
Conclusion
Incorporating practical exercise into your daily routine is not just about staying fit; it's about living a healthier, more balanced life. Redefine what exercise means to you and embrace everyday activities as opportunities to move and tone your wonderful body.
Next time you consider paying some else to wash your windows, mow your lawn or even walk your dog - consider it your time to exercise and stay in shape, all the while saving yourself some money and being super-productive too!
Here's to your health and happiness!