Alternative Ways to Burn Calories and Build Strength (page 2 of 2)

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• Lose the Weight
• Cholesterol
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• Cardio Workouts
• Exercise

Moving Without Exercising

Exercise doesn't have to involve equipment or even a special time set aside in your day. Any kind of movement that increases your heart rate provides benefits. That includes everything from house cleaning to dancing to gardening. Here is a list of activities that can replace 30 minutes of walking:

• Washing and waxing a car for 45-60 minutes.


• Washing windows or floors for 45-60 minutes.


• Playing volleyball for 45 minutes.


• Gardening for 30-45 minutes.


• Wheeling self in wheelchair for 30-40 minutes.


• Bicycling 5 miles in 30 minutes.


• Dancing fast (social) for 30 minutes.


• Raking leaves for 30 minutes.


• Water aerobics for 30 minutes.


• Swimming laps for 20 minutes.


• Basketball (a game) for 15-20 minutes.


• Bicycling 4 miles in 15 minutes.


• Jumping rope for 15 minutes.


• Shoveling snow for 15 minutes.


• Stair-walking for 15 minutes.

Source: Surgeon General's report on Physical Activity and Health, 1996

If your hobby involves being physically active, perfect! Just consider the workout you get from gardening. Between edging and raking the lawn, walking back and forth to the mulch pile, pulling weeds, digging holes, and planting seeds, gardening uses all of the major muscle groups. And half an hour of general gardening burns about 202 calories in a 185-pound person. One study even found that gardening could reduce insulin resistance, a condition that could lead to metabolic syndrome or diabetes, both of which significantly increase your risk of heart disease. It's even been suggested that urban gardens be used to improve public health, not only by providing fresh produce, but also by providing exercise. To get the most out of gardening, nix the gadgets that make it easier, such as electric weed-whackers.

In addition to gardening, simply eschewing convenience devices like remote controls and garage-door openers can make a big difference in terms of the calories you burn and your overall amount of physical activity.

From Cut Your Cholesterol

 

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During our visit to the Bureau of Engraving and Printing in Washington, D.C., my family and I watched as hundreds of thousands of dollar bills were printed, inspected, cut and packaged for delivery to Federal Reserve Banks across the nation. Our guide told us that every year this facility alone printed millions of one-dollar bills. The tour ended in the gift shop, where we bought about $60 worth of souvenirs. As I handed the clerk a $100 traveler's check, he asked if I had anything smaller.

"Why?" I asked.

"Um, because I don't have enough change," he replied.

-- David C. McFerrin, Crossville, Tenn.

“ A man is a success if he gets up in the morning and goes to bed at night and in between does what he wants to do. ”

— Bob Dylan

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