One way
to work out how much more
exercise you need is to
calculate your current
activity level based on the
number of energy units
(kilojoules or calories)
your body requires to do
different activities. One of
the most inactive thing you
can do is to watch
television the whole day.
While watching, as you sit
there, your body burns up
around 4.2 kilojoules or 1
calorie per minute, just
keeping you alive.
Interesting Fact:
Research shows that your
body may actually use
more calories if you
stare at a blank wall
rather than a
television.
If you
read a book, your rate goes
up slightly, that is, up to
1.3 calories per minute. Yet
reading is among the
inactive jobs, so imagine
the difference it makes,
when you start moving.
A
simple walk around the park
raises your activity level
to 3.5-5.5 calories per
minute. A similar amount of
energy is used in washing up
your car, gardening,
clipping hedges, vacuum
cleaning, etc. Swimming
burns a little more around 5
to 15 calories per minute,
whereas running would push
the minimum rate to 6-8
calories per minute and
cycling would be 10-12
calories per minute.
There
are many other ways to
increase your daily level of
activity. For example, get
up a little earlier and walk
around the block before you
have your breakfast. When at
the shopping center, walk
briskly between the shops
instead of strolling. Even
at your workplace, always
prefer staircase instead of
elevators and visit your
colleagues instead of
talking to them through
telephone. Driving your cars
doesn’t come in active
pursuits, so try walking or
riding a bicycle whenever
you can, that would add
greatly to your daily level
of activity.
However, the best place to
start is at home. Start by
avoiding the use of your
television remote control
and getting out of chair to
change the channel or
increase/decrease the
volume. Also, during you
watch television or listen
to music, you can do simple
exercises like leg
rotations, hand movements,
etc. Also you can climb up
and down the stairs during
those not so good commercial
advertisements. Try getting
a treadmill or an exercise
bike and exercise while
watching your favorite
shows. Try setting up little
time in your morning
schedule for a simple
routine warm up exercise.
Slowly and steadily, you can
turn this small routine into
a regular structured home
exercise sessions, maybe two
to three times a week. Just
before you know it, you’ll
be making exercising an
important part of your
routine and lifestyle.
