Shed the Holiday Pounds – Quick & Easy Exercise Tips

Don’t have time hit the gym?  We’ve got some quick and easy calorie-burning tips for you.

There are plenty of ways you can integrate exercise into your daily routine. Formal fitness in the form of an organized, recognizable workout is only way to get fit and burn calories. There are many others.

Gerry Morton, CEO of EnergyFirst, has these suggestions for adding extra calorie-burning activity to your daily routine.

• Enjoy the walk.  Why fight for the closest parking space?  Park at the farthest-out space and burn a few extra calories walking through more of the parking lot.
• Isometric drivers. When you’re stopped at a red light, grasp the steering wheel at 3 o’clock and 9 o’clock and push hard against it so that you feel your back being pressed into the seat.  
• Butt-tuck or tummy tuck. When stopped at a red light, tighten either your butt or your abdominal muscle for ten full seconds.
• Wax on, wax off. Wash your car by hand, using big, circular sweeping motions that burn calories as you wash, dry and wax.
• Clean up, strengthen up at home. Vacuum one room of your home each day to get in extra walking and work your abdominal and back muscles.
• Extra grocery trip. Before you start your shopping at the store, walk through each aisle.
• Calf raises while brushing teeth. If you stand when you brush your teeth, rise up and down on your toes to get in a little extra calf work.
• Take commercial breaks. During TV commercials, get up, stretch, go get a glass of water or put the dog out, or hang up laundry.

Adding activity requires a different sort of thinking.

In modern America, we’re constantly bombarded with easier and more convenient ways to do things. To get more activity, you’ve got to go against the grain.

Get moving.

Use daily opportunities to give yourself some health benefits, improve your fitness and increase your calorie-burning activity.

More tips on how you can become more active can be found by visiting Effective Exercise.