What is Incidental Activity?
Working on your fitness and doing regular exercise is not everyone’s cup of tea. It’s essential for your health and wellbeing, but many people see it as a chore rather than a passion. While there’s no getting around your need for exercise, there is a way to incorporate it into your day without even trying. Intrigued? Read on to how you can improve your fitness without hitting the gym.
What is Incidental Activity?
Incidental activity is a way to burn calories without partaking in an active form of exercise. If you’re not a gym-goer by any stretch of the imagination, then knowing this type of activity exists is bound to put a smile on your face.
It’s important to note that regular, traditional exercise is a way to keep you fit and healthy. You should never entirely swap regular exercise for incidental activity. In saying that, it’s helpful to know you can burn calories in other ways.
Take the Stairs
If you work in an office building with multiple floors, then you’re probably more than familiar with the inner workings of your office’s lift. Push a button, wait, and you’re several floors up with minimal effort.
But taking the stairs instead can be a way to get that daily step count up without thinking about it. Rather than take the lift, walk up the several flights of steps. You get to burn calories and work on your fitness at the same time. Especially if you leave your building several times per day.
Park Further Away
Nothing sets you up for a day at the office better than nabbing a parking spot close to your workplace. However, you’re missing a perfect opportunity for incidental activity. The further away you park from your workplace, the more steps you can achieve in a single day.
Do Some Gardening
When your backyard begins to resemble a jungle, it’s tempting to hire a gardener to take care of the problem for you. However, by getting stuck in yourself, you’re achieving three things: monetary savings, a sense of achievement, and exercise.
Gardening is an incidental form of exercise that can offer two results: fitness and a beautiful garden. Just don’t forget to stretch your arms and legs before you begin.
Take the Long Way
Wherever you go where walking is a requirement, take the long way. Walk around the block instead of cutting through the middle. Do a few extra aisle walks at the supermarket before going to the counter. Keep your pace up when shopping rather than dawdling. Every little bit counts when you’re trying to experience incidental activity.
Bike Instead of Drive
If you need to shoot to the shops for a loaf of bread, reach for your bike helmet rather than your car keys. You are still getting to the shop, but in a way that allows you to burn calories and feel the breeze through your hair.
Natural Physical Activity guidelines dictate that you should be getting at least 30 minutes of moderate to intense activity daily. Are you? There are so many ways to include incidental exercise in your day, so keep this in mind as you go about your daily business.