Workout Tips and Tricks While at Work or at Home

20 Tips and Tricks to Burn More Calories at Home and at Work Without the Workout

1)      Unload the dishwasher or dish rack, one dish and utensil at a time

2)      Set the table one item at a time

3)      When cleaning the house, dust one item in one room then go the furthest part of the house and dust/clean something else

4)      Do calf raises or stand on one leg when brushing your teeth in the morning

5)      Walk around the house while you brush your teeth

6)      Put the laundry away one piece at time, leaving the basket on the other side of the room

7)      Lightly jog in place while cooking, doing dishes, etc.

8)      During commercials do exercises

9)      Watch TV standing up

10)   Walk around the house or go up and down the stairs during commercials (try to limit TV time to 2 hours a day or under.  Studies have shown that people who sit more than 2 hours a day are taking hours off of their life for each hour spent sitting)

11)   During television time, it is a great opportunity to stretch and use a foam roller as well

12)   Take the dog for an extra walk (Great for both of you; my dog gets about 5 miles worth of walks per day)

13)   Clean the house more often.  In all honesty, the biggest calorie burn days I’ve had (outside of doing 20 mile runs) have been the days where I cleaned the house, cooked dinner, went to the grocery store, walked the dog, did laundry and all the other little things you do to support your life on a full day of errands.  If you sneak out for a run or hit the gym in the middle of all that as well, you’ll see even more dramatic results.  These things could all be considered “drudgery” but they have a hell of an impact on your fitness.

14)   By a push mower and sell the riding lawn mower (They’re much easier to keep running as well).

15)   Shovel the snow

16)   Get a baseball glove and play catch with a friend or significant other.  Even if you’ve never done this before, your brain will thank you for teaching it something new and you’ll burn a few calories as well.  Being in the sun itself and getting some Vitamin D will help with weight loss.

17)   Always stand and/or pace when you take a phone call.

18)   Drink lots of water.  This will keep your metabolism higher and you’ll burn calories walking to the restroom all day long.

19)   Always take the stairs at work

20)   Park in the furthest spot away from your destination as long as it is safe (well-lighted, in full view, etc.)

 

 

Workouts from Home or the Hotel

Move from one exercise to the next with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between.  Repeat the entire circuit 2 or 3 times

15 Traditional Crunches

15 Bent-Knee Leg Raises

15 Oblique V-Ups/ side

Plank (Hold for 60 seconds)

Lunges or Walking Lunges  (15/leg)

Pushups (as many as you can)

Squats or traveling squats (15)

Dips (using a chair or coffee table) 15

Wall sit for 60

*use household items to add weight to the lunges and squats such as laundry detergent jugs, gallons of milk or water, buckets of kitty litter, or just about anything with handles

CARDIO

Don’t let the rain or snow, heat or cold keep you from getting a cardio workout.  Do any of the items listed below or a combination of them for 20-30 minutes (or 10-15 minutes in the morning and again in the evening)

1)      Burpees (do at least 50)

2)      Jog in Place with high knees (do from 5 minutes to an hour)

3)      Shadow Box in the mirror (make sure you’re moving you feet quickly the whole time and aim for 3 minute rounds—just like the real thing).

4)      Go up and down your stairs as many times as you can in 10 minutes

5)      Jump rope.  If you don’t have a jump rope, imagine that you do and do it anyway for at least 2 minutes each time

6)      Step ups.  Use stairs or a low bench and step up with one foot, then the other, then step down with the first foot that was used and down with the second.  This is tried and true.  It is a standard test for cardio endurance for many professions requiring cardio endurance, such as forest fire fighters.  Try to do this exercise for at least 5 minutes at a time.

7)      Toe jumps.  Use just your feet and calf muscles to quickly hop in place while you reach for the ceiling.  Shoot for 2-5 minutes per round.