Exercise Tips For Everyday Life

Weaving exercise into your daily activities is important, because exercise does not have to be part of a formal fitness program. Informal exercise can be very beneficial to your health --- and many people are too busy to embark upon a formal program. "The Complete Guide to Walking" reports that the average person in 2001 burned 500 to 800 fewer calories daily in routine tasks than the average person in 1981. Fortunately, you have many opportunities to exercise.

Work Life

A sedentary work life is one reason that people burn fewer calories than they did in previous generations. White-collar work such as computer work and light office work burns about 80 to 140 calories per hour depending on your weight, while blue-collar work such as operating heavy equipment, construction work and working in a steel mill burns about 150 to 700 calories per hour, according to a Harvard Heart Letter study of 158 activities.

White-collar workers, though, often have more flexibility regarding what time they work. "Walking" author Mark Fenton suggests scheduling regular walking breaks in your day. You can be at work from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and take four 15-minute walking breaks rather than work from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and not include exercise. Walking breaks burn calories, improve your mood and make you more productive during the same amount of working time, Fenton explains.

Home Life

Watching television burns 46 to 66 calories per hour, according to the Harvard Heart Letter study. However, you can burn far more calories in your home life if you exercise while watching television. Riding a stationary bicycle for an hour burns 932 calories if you weight 185 pounds and 630 calories if you're 125 lbs. Dianne Hales, author of the textbook "An Invitation to Health," advises students to ride a stationary bike while reading, studying or listening to an educational program on your personal music player.

You can also do household activities that you might find more enjoyable than formal exercises while watching television or listening to music. These informal exercises can help you control your weight and improve your physical and mental health. Gardening, for instance, burns about 270 to 410 calories per hour, according to the Harvard Heart Letter study. Carpentry, painting and auto repair burn about 180 to 520 calories per hour.

Social Life

Persuading friends to exercise with you instead of watching television with them can improve your social life as well as your health. Persuading children to exercise with you can be even more important, because children who exercise perform better in school, have better relationships with their parents and are more likely to exercise as adults, Hales reports. Playing with your children burns about 250 to 450 calories per hour, the Heart Letter study found.

Walking short distances to stores rather than driving also adds up, according to "The Complete Guide to Walking." Fenton doesn't accept long distances between your home and your grocery store as an excuse to not exercise, because you can park a few blocks away from the store and walk from there, rather than trying to park as close to the store as possible.