Activities With Physical Movement

You may not enjoy exercising, especially if you think of it as going to the gym or jogging for miles. However, anything that gets your body moving counts as exercise. You may exercise every day without knowing it -- any activity with vigorous physical movement qualifies. Trick yourself into exercising more simply by increasing your low-impact activities throughout the day.

Have Fun

Participate in more fun activities so you can get moving without it feeling like work. Play with your kids, grandchildren or dog. Spend more time gardening. You can perform these low-impact activities at home. Moving uses your body's energy and burns calories. For example, playing a game of tag or hide and go seek can eat up 216 calories an hour, while gardening can burn 324 calories per hour.

Beautify Your Home

Maintaining a house and yard also may improve or maintain your physical health. You accomplish more than housework when you perform such chores as cleaning and mowing the lawn. These count as calorie-burning physical activities. For instance, cleaning your house burns between 240 and 432 calories an hour, depending on the intensity of the work. Vacuuming or mopping alone burns 150 calories an hour, while mowing your lawn burns 324 calories an hour. Start working on your to-do list to add exercise to your daily schedule.

Fool Yourself

It doesn't take much to work in a few extra activities with physical movement. Walk more by increasing your good deeds. Park farther away from stores and leave the good spaces for people who have real difficulty walking. Help alleviate crowded elevators and escalators by taking the stairs. Get the mail for a loved one or a neighbor who may have trouble walking. Walking burns 206 calories an hour, while climbing stairs burns 657 calories an hour.

Benefits

Routine activities with vigorous physical movement prevent a sedentary lifestyle. A sedentary lifestyle includes only the activities of daily living, such as getting dressed and cooking. Vigorous physical activity reduces your risk of heart disease, keeps your cholesterol levels healthy, and prevents and controls high blood pressure and diabetes. Increased physical activity also helps you lose weight. Best of all, upping your activity level will improve your mood.