Alternative Ways to Burn Calories

"Exercise" Isn't a Dirty Word — But If It Is To You,
Just Call It Something Else

Do you hate to exercise even though you know that you should do it? Do you promise yourself that you'll go to the gym today, but never seem to get there? Or do you have a treadmill sitting in the corner of your bedroom that only gets used as a clothes hanger?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you might have that dirty little secret feeling that exercise is a four letter word. You avoid it. You come up with excuses to not do it. And yet, you know you should exercise for your health.

If you're trying to lose weight, then I'm sure I'm not telling you something new. In order to lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume. After all, you're probably a weight loss expert already.... you just may not be successful at it yet.

If you're like me, you know you need to exercise to burn the calories in order to create that calorie deficit needed to lose weight. Just counting calories and restricting your diet alone is typically not going work (however, I do recommend doing it in conjunction with exercise).

But if you break out into hives just thinking about exercise, I want you to change your mindset. Let's not call it "exercise" anymore, and call it "physical activity". Now, doesn't that sound a whole lot less intimidating?

You see, you can label many things as "physical activity" that you wouldn't normally label as exercise, and yet, you're burning calories doing them! Isn't that great?

Here are a few examples of physical activity:

1. Walking. You burn the same amount of calories walking a mile as you do running a mile. That's right. You don't have to sweat to burn calories. A 150 pound woman will burn about 100 calories walking a mile.

2. Housework. We all do it, but did you realize you're burning calories? You burn about 400 calories / hour doing vigorous housework. So go scour the shower!

3. Washing the Car. You'll burn about 300 calories if you wash your car by hand. Forget about paying the carwash - get out there and wash your car yourself.

4. Gardening. You can burn about 300 calories / hour by getting out and pulling those weeds yourself.

So don't think of exercise as a dirty word and avoid it at all costs. Think of it as physical activity and move your body! You'll be more productive in your chores and you'll see the results on the scale - as long as you don't reward yourself with a Ben and Jerry's!

About The Author:
Stacey Stanley is a professional writer and researcher and enjoys providing quality content to her readers. She has a special interest in weight loss and health.
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