Two common excuses that a lot of people give for not exercising includes lack of time and no access to the gym, which may be due to a long day of work that makes you feel exhausted and stressed. Let’s face it, exercising isn’t as easy as thought, and even though a number of us know the health benefits, some still find it very difficult to get along with the time, effort and determination that it requires.
However, there are many ways that you can exercise without actually realizing it. You don’t necessarily have to hit the gym or eat into your sleeping time to workout. You can make it much more interesting and less demanding and boring. Here are three ways to make this happen.
1. Walking
Walking is one of the most underrated exercises with lots of benefits. A study in 2015 found that just 25 minutes of brisk walking a day can add up to seven years of life. Other benefits are that it helps you to maintain a healthy weight, improves your mood, strengthens your bones and muscles, reduces the risk of heart disease, blood pressure and diabetes and also improve balance and coordination. You really don’t have to spend hours to do this exercise or go to the gym. All you need are your legs and a good pair of shoes. You can aim for at least 30 minutes of brisk walking daily, which doesn’t necessarily have to be at a stretch. You could walk for 15 minutes in the morning and another 15 minutes later in the day. Take the stairs and quit using the elevator, walk around the gallery while you talk over a phone call, and many other ways that you can make this happen.
2. Dancing
Dancing can be a whole body workout that may help to improve the condition of the heart and lungs. Take a 30-minute dance class to help burn about 130 to 250 calories, which is almost the same as jogging. With slow dances, you can burn about 250 calories and for faster dances, 350 calories. Other benefits of dancing are that it increases muscular strength, improves muscle tone and strength, helps in weight management, stronger bones and sharpens balance and coordination.
3. Playing an instrument
Playing an instrument like the violin can actually help you shed calories. Studies have shown that playing the violin for an hour burns about 175 calories.
It is quite clear now that some of our daily activities can benefit our health in a lot of ways.
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