Recently, I experienced a stressful few months, of which I will not mention the cause, and I dropped about 10 pounds, putting me at a weight I haven't been at in almost 10 years. However, now that the stress is gone, and I am happy and content, about 5 pounds have already come back and taken up residence in the places I do not like it. Since I eat when I am happy, and most of the time I am happy, I KNOW I must start exercising, regularly, again. However, that simply is not as fun, or as easy, as eating! So...here are a few things I am doing right now to burn extra calories until I get motivated to pull out my Tae Bo DVDs...do you do any of these things??
-I walk up and down my stairs, a lot, so I am doing leg lifts each time I walk down, and glute squeezes when I walk up. This adds an element of danger when I am carrying glasses, laundry or boxes, but I have very little risk in my life anyway, so I suppose I should just "live a little" while I am getting my legs in shape.
-My mom, since I was a little girl, drilled into me that I MUST hold my stomach in...I am so programmed to do it that I am mortified if I accidentally let it out for some reason, like my organs are going to spill out of my navel. I am hoping this constant flexing of my midsection is attributing to some calorie burning...I was told by the doc, who did both my c-sections, that I had the most "beautiful" stomach muscles she had ever seen...of course I was cut open and she was actually LOOKING at the muscles themselves, not the layers of fat over them! Sorry, that was gross...
-I am growing out my hair again...does that expend calories you ask? Well, I don't know...maybe it does! Maybe holding your head up with more hair on it burns calories, maybe just thinking about your hair growing burns calories...someone needs to study that...anyway...
I have very thick hair, and when it is long, I have to dry it, which easily takes about 20 minutes. SO, during that time I do leg squats and calf raises. And, I make sure to always have the heaviest hairdryer I can find, and switch hands often as I dry my hair.
-I work hard when I clean house! I try to make it as cumbersome and impractical as possible, purposely carrying little at a time to make extra trips, OR carrying a ton to work my biceps...I vacuum with my left arm and wipe tables, windows and mirrors with my left as well, 'cause my left arm is in worse shape than my right...
-I also make cooking impractical too...I buy block cheeses that I have to grate and slice, veggies and fruit that need to be cleaned, peeled and cut, make recipes from scratch, etc...it all means I am standing up longer, and moving around more, before I stuff my face.
-I take the kids on walks as much as possible and play with them, including Wii sports...I actually got sore from boxing...pathetic or cool, I am not sure...
-I get jiggy with my hubby...
-I do leg lifts and glute squeezes while I am sitting here on the computer, which is quite often..I should have buns of steel, but somehow I don't.
-I fidget...I read once you can burn an extra 300 calories a day just by shaking your legs and basically not sitting still...ever seen a walking earthquake? That's me, looking like I am hopped up on caffeine or some illegal narcotic... I should be a stick...but I am not, I'm more like jell-o.
-I stress out...that's not really exercise, but often I worry about things that have no relevance, causing my heart to race, extreme perspiring, and all loss of appetite. I can get so worked up that I suppose it's like working out...hey, I actually lose weight, right?
Other than that, I really need to start up an exercise regimen again. I just need to do it.
-I walk up and down my stairs, a lot, so I am doing leg lifts each time I walk down, and glute squeezes when I walk up. This adds an element of danger when I am carrying glasses, laundry or boxes, but I have very little risk in my life anyway, so I suppose I should just "live a little" while I am getting my legs in shape.
-My mom, since I was a little girl, drilled into me that I MUST hold my stomach in...I am so programmed to do it that I am mortified if I accidentally let it out for some reason, like my organs are going to spill out of my navel. I am hoping this constant flexing of my midsection is attributing to some calorie burning...I was told by the doc, who did both my c-sections, that I had the most "beautiful" stomach muscles she had ever seen...of course I was cut open and she was actually LOOKING at the muscles themselves, not the layers of fat over them! Sorry, that was gross...
-I am growing out my hair again...does that expend calories you ask? Well, I don't know...maybe it does! Maybe holding your head up with more hair on it burns calories, maybe just thinking about your hair growing burns calories...someone needs to study that...anyway...
I have very thick hair, and when it is long, I have to dry it, which easily takes about 20 minutes. SO, during that time I do leg squats and calf raises. And, I make sure to always have the heaviest hairdryer I can find, and switch hands often as I dry my hair.
-I work hard when I clean house! I try to make it as cumbersome and impractical as possible, purposely carrying little at a time to make extra trips, OR carrying a ton to work my biceps...I vacuum with my left arm and wipe tables, windows and mirrors with my left as well, 'cause my left arm is in worse shape than my right...
-I also make cooking impractical too...I buy block cheeses that I have to grate and slice, veggies and fruit that need to be cleaned, peeled and cut, make recipes from scratch, etc...it all means I am standing up longer, and moving around more, before I stuff my face.
-I take the kids on walks as much as possible and play with them, including Wii sports...I actually got sore from boxing...pathetic or cool, I am not sure...
-I get jiggy with my hubby...
-I do leg lifts and glute squeezes while I am sitting here on the computer, which is quite often..I should have buns of steel, but somehow I don't.
-I fidget...I read once you can burn an extra 300 calories a day just by shaking your legs and basically not sitting still...ever seen a walking earthquake? That's me, looking like I am hopped up on caffeine or some illegal narcotic... I should be a stick...but I am not, I'm more like jell-o.
-I stress out...that's not really exercise, but often I worry about things that have no relevance, causing my heart to race, extreme perspiring, and all loss of appetite. I can get so worked up that I suppose it's like working out...hey, I actually lose weight, right?
Other than that, I really need to start up an exercise regimen again. I just need to do it.
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6 comments:
Oh Kim!!!! You are so funny!! But man those are some good ideas. Does it count for exercise if you are riding bikes with the kids but all you really do is coast because your bike is so much bigger? Does it count for exercise if you are cleaning the house at the same time you are drinking a grande starbucks or do they cancel each other out?
Absolutely! Any sort of sitting outside of a couch or chair instantly equates burning calories, especially screaming, "slow down!" over and over because it is great cardiovascular work.
And holding a grande cup of anything, alternating hands, is great bicep work, and thus cancels out whatever evil calories are inside if you are vacuuming, even better when the good vacuum music is on...
oh girl you are preaching truth! while the little flxes here and there are good, (i'm they attributed to your nice tummy muscles when you were being sliced and diced via c section)it's just not enough! it's time for me to blow the dust off of my treadmill and do some serious huffing!
so. i enjoyed the post. until the whole "i get jiggy with my husband" part.
for some reason, the picture of the horse statue in the water spout popped into my head. and then the word mo**t.
i am now mortified. petrified. terrified.
HAHA!
Ok...let me help.
We do the jig, the dance, in our living room...no "m"-ess around, no horses, nothing spurting out...there. Feel better?
...I am sitting here reading this post in the usual "sit at the desk, one hand on the mouse, the other posed ready to type" pose. I have hardly moved any muscle except my index ringer on the rolling thingy on the mouse. If I raise my arm, I'm convinced there will be muscle snappy sounds as I haven't moved at all. Your post makes me feel like a cow. Or maybe that was the Reese's Cups I just ate at lunch.
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