Friday, October 2, 2009

Can a Trip to the Mall Keep You in Shape?

When most of us think about exercise, we think about going to the gym and sweating behind some piece of equipment that hundreds of other people have sweated behind before us. The thought of doing this is rather unsavory to most of us and to others it is simply a matter of being inconvenient. There are some ways that you can get out and lose a little bit of weight along with staying physically fit while you are doing things that you would normally do anyway. A good example of this is spending a day at the mall. How can shopping at the mall help you to exercise and stay in shape?
One of the main reasons that it is able to help you stay in shape is because you will be moving around instead of sitting still. If we are not at the mall shopping whenever we have some free time we may end up just sitting on the couch and watching TV. At least when you're at the mall you will be walking around to a certain extent and stopping and starting. You will not be burning calories as if you were running a marathon but it certainly will go a long way in helping you to stay in shape. There are some things that you should look out for, however, so that you do not destroy any effort that you make in this regard.
First of all, you need to make sure that you are not giving into the temptation of the bad food that is available in many of these locations. One meal at a restaurant can have enough calories that would completely blow any dieting that you have done for a couple of days. As a matter of fact, an appetizer, hamburger and onion rings along with the soda can have two days of equivalent of calories in it if it is bought at the wrong restaurant.
That being said, there are some ways that you can increase your exercise while you are at the mall. Park your car a little bit further away so that you have to actually walk into the mall and make sure that you are taking the stairs, not the escalators. If you don't have an option but to take the escalators, make sure that you walk up and down them instead of just standing still. Remember, little things add up to a lot and the exercise that you get will pay off in the long run.

Friday, September 18, 2009

How Housework Keeps You in Shape

Whenever some of us hear the word exercise, we tend to run in the opposite direction. How many times have you had a gym membership and only ever showed up once or twice during the length of that membership? You would be surprised at how many people are in the same shoes as you are. Perhaps you enjoy exercising but simply do not have time to incorporate it into your daily regime. It may also be possible that you hate the effort that needs to be put forth in order to exercise effectively. The fact of the matter is, it is not necessary for you to hit the gym on a regular basis in order to get in shape. All you really need to do is keep your house clean.
Housework is one of those hidden gems of exercise that is far too often overlooked. A lot of us tend to spend our time sitting on the couch watching TV whenever we have a few moments. If you get up and move around a little bit, even if you aren't exerting yourself enough to break a sweat, you are still going to see benefits from that effort. Keeping your house clean is an excellent way to burn some calories and to do so without having to formally go into an exercise routine. What are some of the best things that you can do around the home that will help you to get in shape?
There are several different things that you can do while you are doing your housework which will keep you in shape. Things such as vacuuming, dusting and washing dishes all are able to help you to burn additional calories. Many of these things, however, are done while we are fairly sedentary so doing some deep cleaning is one of the best ways for you to realize benefits. The reason why this is the case is because whenever we are deep cleaning we are often lifting heavy boxes or perhaps bending and stooping in order to reach areas that are not usually touched.
Doing housework on a regular basis not only helps you to burn calories while you're doing it, it also helps you to relax in your home. Remember, being able to relax and destress from time to time is an important part of staying in shape. This is how cleaning your house can help you in a number of different ways to exercise effortlessly.

Getting Fit with the Glycemic Index

Getting some exercise in can be quite a challenge considering the fact that many of us have an extremely busy schedule. Not only that, most of us don't really like exercise in the first place which can make it difficult to stay motivated at the gym. We all realize that getting some exercise is one of the best ways for us to stay trim and healthy. That doesn't mean, however, that it is the only way for us to do so. If you get a moderate amount of exercise throughout the week naturally, you may be able to get fit simply by eating in the proper way.
One problem that many people run into when it comes to eating properly is that they follow to many different programs. Although it is a good idea to have a program in mind whenever you start eating for health, being too drastic or jumping from program to program is not going to help you at all. Another thing that many people tend to do whenever they diet is to cut something out of their diet which the body needs. It is difficult to estimate how many people have damaged their metabolisms as a result of yo-yo dieting through low carbohydrate or low-fat eating.
If you really want to stay fit, it is difficult to beat the benefits that you receive from eating a low glycemic diet. The way that you would do this is actually fairly simple to understand. The glycemic index is a list of foods that are arranged according to how quickly the sugar that is in them is released into our system. The higher on the list the food resides, the faster the sugar is going to be dumped. This can cause our pancreas to overload us with insulin, something that is going to end up storing fat on your body.
By eating a healthy diet that includes five to six small meals on a daily basis, you can really get your metabolism running at top speed. Make sure that you include a protein, legume and plenty of low glycemic vegetables at every meal, preferably raw. If you eat like this for two weeks you will be able to see the difference in your clothing and whenever you stand on the scale. It is an easy way to get fit without doing exercise.