You've probably heard people say that to burn extra calories "take the stairs instead of the elevator" or "park far away from the store entrance." Suggestions like these seem too simple to really make a difference.But they actually do! Burn 100 extra calories daily by adding more movement into your life, and you could lose 10 pounds in one year.
Here are the facts:
• One pound of fat is made up of 3,500 calories.
• To lose one pound of fat, you need to burn an extra 3,500 calories.
• If you burn 100 extra calories each day for 365 days, you will burn a total of 36, 500 calories in a year.
• 36,500 calories equals 10.43 pounds! (36,500 divided 3,500 = 10.43)
So start moving more at work, at home & at play. Here are some suggestions:
AT WORK:
• Walk to your co-worker's office to ask a question instead of sending an email.
• Take the stairs from the parking garage to your office.
• Every hour, take a 2-3 minute break and walk up & down a hallway or a flight of stairs.
• Fidget when you're sitting in a meeting or on a conference call.
• Take a 20-minute walk at lunchtime.
AT HOME:
• Go on a walk with your family after dinner instead of watching tv.
• Play in the yard or at a park with your kids after work.
• Do housework on weeknights instead of watching tv or working on the computer. This will also give you more free time on the weekends to go out and play!
AT PLAY:
• Plan fun activities with friends and family: hiking, cycling, roller skating, bowling, frisbee, basketball, football, etc.
• Whenever possible, walk to your destination. If you're going to see a movie, walk to the theatre to make up for the 2 hours you'll be sitting.
• Whenever you're at a party or celebration, make sure you are out on that dance floor!
What other suggestions do you have for adding more movement into our daily lives?
I love all the tips. Thanks Nar & Elaine. My previous job had me seating in front of a computer 8 hours a day. My fingers were the only thing getting a workout. My co-worker and I started a healthy game. We had reminders every hour to walk to the lunch room have a cup of water and sign on a water log we had created. We had a lot of fun with this. The person who had most glasses of water on Friday was in charge of bringing lunch Monday.
ReplyDeleteOur lunch break was an hour long. We allowed ourselves 30 minutes to eat and 30 minutes to walk. Uncomfortable shoes were no excuse. We had a pair of tennis shoes and socks at work.
Doing this at work brought a little bit of play into my workday. :)
Wow! Gayane those are AWESOME tips! I love how you kept it fun & playful, so it wasn't something to get stressed about.
ReplyDeleteAnyone who works in an office: we highly recommend that you implement a plan like this into your day.