Yahoo Lifestyle Everyday Ways to Boost Kilojoule Burn
By Carol Krucoff
You can burn the same number of kilojoules, or more, as you would in a one-hour aerobics class without ever setting foot in a gym. It's easy—in fact, it probably used to be a natural part of your lifestyle.
Remember when pizza deliveries weren't an option? When you had to get up off the sofa to change the TV channel? Modern life has caused many physical tasks to become either optional or altogether obsolete, and this deprives us of vital kilojoule-burning movement.
"Most people don't realise how very sedentary their life has become," says Steven N Blair, professor at the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina in the US. According to Blair, a major (and often unrecognised) reason for expanding waistlines is the "gradual [decline] of daily life activity." The average adult expends approximately 1,200 to 3,000 fewer kilojoules (about 300 to 700 cal) per day than her parents did, he says.
Professor James A Levine from the Mayo Clinic in the US has spent a decade studying the role that incidental exercise, or NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), plays in metabolism. His discovery: people who tap their feet, prefer standing to sitting, and generally move a lot burn up to 1,500 more kilojoules (about 350 more calories) a day than those who sit still. That adds up to nearly 17 kg a year!
The good news is that adding simple activity back into your daily life is an easy, effective way to shape up, burn kilojoules and get healthy. Here are eight simple ways to bump up your activity level—and shift excess weight.
1. Take Yourself Off Cruise Control
Increase the intensity of your everyday tasks, from vacuuming to walking the dog, recommends Douglas Brooks, a California-based exercise physiologist and personal trainer. "Turn on some music, add in some vigorous bursts and enjoy the movement," he says.
2. Step It Up—and Down
You’ve heard it before, but climbing stairs really strengthens legs because it's a weight-bearing activity: you're lifting your body weight against gravity. So just say no to the lift! Take the stairs at every opportunity.
3. Stand Tall
To improve your posture, practise a shoulder-girdle crunch: stand or sit with your arms relaxed at your sides, palms facing forwards. Visualise a pen placed vertically between your shoulderblades, then squeeze them together as if you were trying to hold the pen in place. Hold for a count of six, relax; repeat 12 times.
4. Use Bags As Dumbbells
Be the fittest jetsetter around: when you travel, pack two smaller suitcases (instead of one big one) so you can carry them yourself. Letting someone else carry your bags is a missed opportunity for strengthening and kilojoule burning, says US-based fitness coach Beth Rothenberg, who teaches at the University of California.
5. Have a Ball at Work
This one hasn’t reached its use-by date either. Replace your office chair with a Swiss ball, says Cedric X Bryant, PhD, chief science officer for the American Council on Exercise, where many staff members have adopted this idea. "You have to engage the core muscles to maintain stability," he says, "so you're getting a great workout right at your desk."
6. Go the Distance
"Stop using the closest bathroom, parking spot or vending machine," says US-based fitness trainer Sandra Swami. Get into the habit of taking the longest route to the bathroom (on a different floor, if you can) and walk up stairs to get there.
7. Do 'Chair-robics'
Set a timer to ring hourly. "When it goes off, stand up and sit down slowly four times," advises Swami. "This boosts circulation and gives you a nice stretch, and you'll be doing four squats an hour, or 32 a day. That's a great way to strengthen your lower body."
8. Play Waiting Games
Don't just sit there while your computer's downloading or the photocopier's collating. Do a stretch (place both hands behind your head, open your elbows and lean back), take a walk or do a few bottom squeezes.
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