10 'Exercises' you probably already do every day

Only 23% of adults in the United States meet all of their weekly exercise guidelines, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, despite the understanding of the health benefits of exercise. So, even though you know that everyone should exercise regularly, chances are you’re having trouble motivating yourself to actually do it.

So what does it give? There are a lot of reasons why people don’t exercise more. You may be short of time or energy, or you may not have the equipment you feel you need.

But as you might imagine sport shoessports bras and weight seats When you think of ‘exercise’, you don’t You have to me Get to the gym To meet the CDC guidelines for physical activity. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2018 National Health Statistics Report, which contains 23% of the statistic, did not mention the word “exercise” once. Rather, it is about physical activity and movement – whether for work, play, or on the orders of a doctor.

For most of human history, physical activity has been incorporated into people’s daily lives in the form of work and chores. These days, people spend more time sitting on sofas, office chairs, and cars. But our lives still require physical movement every day, and it may be easier to meet your daily exercise quota with activities you need to do anyway (like mowing the lawn) rather than taking extra time to do a custom workout.

Rethinking your idea of ​​exercise may inspire you to become more active—and you don’t necessarily miss out if you skipped the gym in favor of sweeping. Here’s what you need to know.

Can daily activities really count as exercise?

Short answer: Yes. “Your body can’t distinguish between bending over to pull a weed and bending over to pick up a small bell,” explains Robert S. Herbst, personal trainer and world champion weightlifter.

Experts divide exercise into two categories: formal exercise and informal exercise. According to Mike Murphy, owner and chief physiotherapist at the RAPID Clinic in Ireland, most people don’t see a casual exercise in actual exercise either. “This may be because informal exercise is difficult to quantify – one hour of walking appears to be easier to measure than housecleaning. But the truth is that many daily tasks consume much more energy than light exercise,” Murphy said.

“Every day walking up and down, to the shops, carrying things, hanging clothes to dry, etc. – all of these activities accumulate and over the course of weeks and months can greatly affect our energy balance (contributing significantly to weight gain or weight loss) “.

In fact, even some formal exercises intentionally mimic the “basic movement patterns that are our lifelong daily movement patterns,” such as squats, push-ups, pull-ups and twists, said Brian Nunez, Nike’s head coach and performance coach. These programs are known as “job training”. Meanwhile, an exercise regimen that includes daily activities rather than formal exercise is also called NEAT exercise, or non-exercise activity thermogenesis.

So, in short, don’t rule out all the physical activities that you do without the intention of exercising. Non-exercise activities are a great way not only to improve your health, but also to complete tasks more easily and reduce your risk of injury (no more pulling on the muscles carrying groceries).

Here are 10 daily activities that count as exercise, according to experts.

Yard or garden care

Anyone who has ever mowed their lawn by hand in the height of summer knows it’s a real exercise. “Aside from the low impact and cardiovascular benefits, lawn mowing requires a lot of basic movement patterns in the setting process, mowing and cleaning,” Nunez explains.

Other types of yard work that are great exercise include gardening, weeding, shoveling snow or foliage, and more.

Running errands

Who said your daily hour-long walk couldn’t get through the corridors of Target? Seriously, though, errands often involve a lot of walking, carrying, lifting, and other movements.

House cleaning

House cleaning can involve a wide range of physical movements – going up and down stairs, carrying things from room to room, pushing and pulling a mop or broom, and more.

Take a dog ride

Do we need to say more? You may be busier with your puppy’s daily walks, but don’t forget that you’ve started your stride around that time as well.

walk anywhere

You may have heard that Sitting for long periods is bad for you. But getting up and moving your body every 30 minutes or so is helpful, and walking is a great exercise, period — whether it’s in the mailbox, down the hall to wave to a co-worker or for a snack.

Race “I’m Late”

If you use public transportation regularly, you will likely get plenty of light to moderate intensity activities throughout your days just by getting on the bus or train. And if you’re running late and have to run a bit, that’s all the effort.

playing with children

Do you have children in your life? Engaging in their play, rather than watching from the nearest sofa or bench, will cause you to run out of breath very quickly.

dance

Maybe you like to go out dancing, or maybe you’re the “dance solo in pajamas” type. Either way, know that dancing can be a great full-body and cardio workout, too.

Laugh

Have you heard of Laughter Yoga? One 2014 study found that laughter yoga is a better muscle exercise than crunches or back raises. Therefore, the more humor you find in your day, the better.

have sex

Sexual activity is also a medium intensity exercise. Although of course it depends on the specific activity, it uses more energy than weight training.

To learn more about staying fit without the gym, learn How do you know if you are healthy without any tools or tests And the What vitamins should you already be taking.

More for your fitness

The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to be health or medical advice. Always consult a physician or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have about a medical condition or health goals.