So lately myfitnesspal.com users are making me mad. I see women put in all teh time "carrying around 10-15 pound baby" 20 minutes, or "sex". I saw someone out 700 calories burned during sex. unless you are doing some crazy trantic karma sutra sex, you only burned about 50 calories every 30 monites! These are not calories you really need to be replacing. So I put this list together to help you very confused people on what exercise REALLY is.
Walking
Does It Count? IT DEPENDS
A leisurely stop-and-shop visit to the mall won’t get your heart rate up to the cardio zone and keep it there. What does? A walk at a peppy pace of at least three miles per hour done in chunks of 10 minutes or more. Still, adding up steps at any speed is smart since studies show that those who take more of them are healthier. In one recent study, participants who increased their daily step count over five years not only lowered their body mass index (or BMI, a scale body weight), they lowered their risk of diabetes. Researchers estimate that going from 3,000 to 10,000 steps a day would improve a person’s insulin sensitivity threefold. MORE: What's Your BMI? Calculate it, fast!
Cleaning the House
Does It Count? YES
There's a reason they call it housework, honey. You can burn serious calories and work major muscle groups during a marathon cleaning session mopping floors for 30 minutes burns 112 calories and works your shoulders and biceps. Chores that don’t get your heart pumping? Folding laundry, ironing and washing the dishes. MORE: Dance away dirt with this Ultimate Spring-Cleaning Playlist
Walking Your Dog
Does It Count? YES
You have to walk your dog anyway, so bump up the workout with this little game: When you're in your yard or a fenced-in park, get a head start on your dog so it's chasing you. Then change direction so it races for you again. Try walking for three minutes and then sprinting for 30 seconds. Chase your pup fives times every doggy outing, and you'll burn 98 calories per 20-minute stroll.
Taking the Stairs
Does It Count? YES
Think of climbing a flight of stairs as a series of butt-firming, leg-toning lunges that counts as anaerobic exercise. (Spread it over 30-minutes on the StairMaster and now we’re talking cardio.) To get the best fitness benefits, it’s best to take them two at a time, according to a study at Pennsylvania State University in University Park. “You use bigger muscle groups when you skip a step,” lead author Jinger Gottschall, Ph.D., says. “Since these muscles require more energy to be active, you end up burning more calories.”
Carrying Your Baby or Pushing a Stroller
Does It Count? IT DEPENDS
New moms likely rack up a couple dozen biceps curls each day by scooping up junior and a prolonged arm muscle contraction by cradling him—but cardio exercise it’s not. A better bet: Pushing the stroller at a 3-mile-per-hour pace or playing tag with your toddler.
Gardening
Does It Count? YES
Between all the up-and-down moves, lugging materials from the shed, winding up a hose after watering the lawn, and much more, 60 minutes of gardening can burn more than 250 calories all while working your arms and backs of your legs.
Playing Wii Games
Does It Count? IT DEPENDS
You won’t work up a sweat if your video game of choice is Guitar Hero, but a study by the American Council on Exercise found that others like Wii Fit’s Island Run and Free Run burn about 5.5 calories per minute. Still, say the study authors, it’s a “very, very mild workout” so opting for a Wii Sports title may be more of the jumping around you need to turn up the burn.
You can make physical activity a regular part of your life by deciding what to do and making a realistic plan. Check out your choices below.
Aerobic exercise
Aerobic exercise increases your heart rate, works your muscles, and raises your breathing rate. For most people, it’s best to aim for a total of about 30 minutes a day, at least 5 days a week. If you haven’t been very active recently, you can start out with 5 or 10 minutes a day and work up to more time each week. Or split up your activity for the day – try a brisk 10-minute walk after each meal. If you’re trying to lose weight, you my want to exercise more than 30 minutes a day.
Here are some examples of aerobic exercise. Check off the ones you’d like to try.
•Take a brisk walk (outside or inside on a treadmill).
•Dance.
•Take a low-impact aerobics class.
•Swim or do water-aerobics.
•Ride your bike outside.
•Use a stationary bike inside.
•Go ice-skating.
•Go roller-skating.
•Play tennis.
•Do a workout DVD, go tot eh gym and run on a treadmill, get a personal trainer, GET MOVING
Strength training
Strength training, done 2 to 3 times a week, helps build strong bones and muscles. It makes everyday chores like carrying groceries easier. Strength training can also help prevent weight gain. Here are some ways to do it.
•Lift weights at home.
•Join a class to do strength training with weights, elastic bands, or plastic tubes.
• Do a wieght trainign DVD, google quick workouts, get a DIY plan for you that incorperates both cardio and weights.
Flexibility exercises
Flexibility exercises, also called stretching, help keep your joints flexible. Gentle stretching for 5 to 10 minutes makes aerobic activities such as walking more comfortable.
•Take an aerobics or fitness class that includes stretching.
•Join a yoga class.
• take 10 minutes a day to get stretch
Be active throughout the day
Look for opportunities throughout your day to be active. Being active burns calories.
•Walk instead of drive whenever you can.
•Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
•Work in the garden.
•Do some housecleaning or other chores.
•Park at the far end of the shopping center parking lot.
•Walk down every aisle of the grocery store.
•Walk in place or stretch while you watch TV.
•Walk around the house or up and down stairs while you talk on the phone.
Making my plan for physical activity
Choose the activities you’d like to do for each type of physical activity. If you have health problems, talk with your health care team to make sure your choices are safe for you. Then make a detailed plan.
Don't replace your calories unless you heart rate is in the "areobic zone" for 30 minutes or more.
WomensHEalth/WEBMD/Fitness MAg
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