We all know exercise is good for us. If you are one of the “I hate exercise and the gym” brigade, you can stop feeling guilty immediately and join the accidental, kilojoule-burning, everyday workout group.

Burning those pesky kilojoules

We all know that the best way to stay healthy and not blow up like balloons is to eat healthy food and to exercise. Exercise, especially aerobic and strength training, is definitely the best way to burn kilojoules, we are told.

A kilojoule is a unit of measure of energy in the same way that kilometres measure distance. It also refers to the energy value of food and the amount of energy our bodies burn (Better Health Victoria Government Authority). Also, according to the Heart Foundation, a massive 33 000 kilojoules are stored in one kilogram of body fat. The million dollar question is: how to burn that fat and achieve a healthy, slim and trim body without ever crossing the threshold of a gym?

How to “accidently” exercise every day

Here’s a list of some of the everyday things you can or may already be doing that burn kilojoules and can be dubbed accidental exercise.

    • Energetic vacuuming, mopping and dusting and any form of repeated bending and squatting can be turned into a workout especially if you add some lively music to keep up the pace.
    • Climbing, bounding or running up stairs is a wonderful form of exercise that even elite track athletes do. It’s a weight-bearing activity that will strengthen your legs and, if done repeatedly, give you killer thighs
    • Mowing your own lawn, sweeping the driveway, picking up leaves, bending down to pull out weeds and stretching to prune dead branches on trees, etc. work muscles and burn kilojoules.
    • Thank your lucky stars for a hyperactive little dare-devil. Not only will he/she help elevate your heart beat and burn kilojoules by scaring you witless but as a good personal trainer he/she will also offer numerous opportunities to run, jump, squat, stretch and catch; a typical whole-body workout. Walking, jogging or playing with your dogs or other animals offers nearly the same benefits.
    • Walking, running and hiking are popular exercise workouts that you are most probably already doing. Kids and dogs love walking and will gladly accompany you. Don’t be surprised if the stroll/walk spontaneously turns into short spurts of running (interval training).
    • Trips to a local fair, flea-market or food market also count as accidental exercise; it can take hours of walking. Calculating precisely how many kilojoules you’ll burn depends on your body weight and how fast you walk/run. For example, “a 100kg person burns an average of around 550 kilojoules per half-hour of walking at 3kph” (see Exercise Energy Charts at www.weightloss.com.au). Running or jogging burns even more kilojoules.
    • Shopping is another “accidental” activity that doubles up as a work-out if you adhere to the following rules: briskly walk the length of the mall and climb the stairs to reach the different floors. In this way you may try on ten complete outfits (in different shops) and, believe it or not, still burn kilojoules!
    • Accidental exercises at work include regularly getting up and sitting down slowly, taking the longest route to the bathroom or even using one on the upper floor, using the stairs not the lifts, doing stomach crunches while sitting at your desk and going for a walk during your lunch break.
    • Riding a bike to and from work or with your kids may burn up 895 kilojoules in 30 minutes of moderate riding.
    • Taking a 30 minute dip in the swimming pool can burn 1046 kilojoules.
    • A 30 minute soccer game with friends or your children can burn up 1046 kilojoules.
    • Thirty minutes of dancing, a wonderful form of aerobic exercise, can burn 640 kilojoules.
    • Professor James A Levine from the Mayo Clinic in the US says that “people who tap their feet, prefer standing to sitting, and generally move a lot burn up to 1,500 more kilojoules a day than those who sit still”.
    • Every time you press up onto the balls of your feet to reach something on a high shelf or check what the kids are up to you are doing calf raises. Learn to also tighten your abdominal muscles and buttocks for those few minutes and you have a workout.

Is it that easy?

The answer is yes and no! Any form of movement is better than none but the golden rule of exercising and burning fat is that the movements must be repetitive and at such an intensity that it elevates heart rate, to make a difference.

 

Sources
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Burning calories. Retrieved from: http://www.weighttraining.com/features/burning-calories
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Kilojoules and calories. Retrieved from: http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Kilojoules_and_calories-explained
Klein, S. 2014. 10 free ways to burn kilojoules that don’t feel like working out. Retrieved from: http://www.news.com.au/lifestyle/fitness/free-ways-to-burn-kilojoules-that-dont-feel-like-working-out/story-fnlsv23r-1226882581300
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