Note from Rika: For more healthy eating ideas for your family check out this simple, step-by-step system for shopping, cooking and eating the world's healthiest foods.
Welcome to tip 8 in my "How To Lose Weight Without A Diet" series. So, you find walking to lose weight too boring? And good workouts to lose weight are too expensive?
Or you don't have the body to feel comfortable with gym workouts to lose weight? Can't afford a home treadmill or elliptical trainer? Read on!
There are lots of other ways to add extra activity to your day without joining a gym! What is the most important thing to keep in mind?
Find something you enjoy doing and can fit into your schedule with ease, both in terms of affordability and where it can be done.
Let's look at some possibilities if you can't afford gym workouts to lose weight:
1. Ignore The Elevator
Heading for the elevator has become second nature? Try to ignore that 'comfort zone' and head for the stair instead. Did you know that by simply walking up and down stairs for around ten minutes a day, you can get rid of up to 10 extra pounds in a year! That is, without making any changes in your diet!
2. Turn The Vacuum Into Your Dance Partner
Well, the vacuuming has to be done, but you may as well turn it into a fun activity that burns loads of calories. Put on lively dance music while you vacuum (use earphones) and add a new rhythm to your cleaning. Not only will you find that the chore becomes a pleasure, but your blubbery bits should shrink over time. Half an hour of energetic vacuuming can burn up to 200 calories. You can even try to do a few lunges and good stretches in the process. Do this twice a week and you can say bye-bye to up to 6 pounds in a year.
3. Take Up A Fun Sport With Friends
Forget about good workouts to lose weight and play tennis for around 40 to 60 minutes to burn almost 400 calories. Or play golf for an hour to incinerate up to 350 calories - just remember you have to walk and you must carry your own clubs. Even ping pong (table tennis) can help you to make short shrift of 200 calories in 30 minutes. Aerobic dance is particularly good at more than 400 calories for an hour's activity. Any of these can help you to get rid of another 10 to 12 pounds a year!
4. Scrub Your Way To A Healthier You
Give the shower, the kitchen floor or the bathroom tiles a good scrub for 30 minutes. Here you can also add the dance music. That can take care of between 120 and 150 calories, depending on how energetic you do this. Washing the car can also help you to get rid of yet another 200 to 250 calories. If you do a combination of these every second day, you can scrub away up to 8 pounds in a year.
5. More Weight Loss Goodies In And Around The House
Give your garden some tender, loving care in an energetic way for just 30 minutes and you can weed away up to 250 calories. Rather be inside? Love to redecorate? Get someone to help you to move some furniture for 30 minutes to get another 200 to 300 calories moving!
6. Stop The Couch Potato Syndrome
Take a look at how you are spending your 'down' time. Is it all centered around sitting? Sitting in front of the television, sitting in the movies, sitting while visiting with friends? Try to get together with your friends and come up with a strategy to change this. Choose outings such as a walk in a park (always keep safety in mind, though), cycling in an area that will nurture your spirit as well, become a 'tourist' in your own area and explore places you haven't been to before, etc. These free options can be good workouts to lose weight if you add a bit of energy to them.
Be creative! Even becoming a kid again for a while and playing really actively with your kids, can add to calorie burning and weight loss! You can even do some fun exercises with the kids while there are commercial breaks on the television.
7. Get Your Timing Right
Aim for some sort of activity before dinner time and you can increase the benefits even more! It has been shown that activity before a meal can help to reduce your appetite. In addition, the exercise will rev up your metabolism, so that your body will burn more calories during and after dinner.
This 'How To Lose Weight Without A Diet' tip has a long list of added benefits:
- Activity can help to prevent osteoporosis
- You will feel so much better about yourself
- You will become more flexible
- Your cholesterol level will improve over time
- It will be good for heart health in general
- Any activity functions as a mood enhancer, enabling you to cope better with stress or depression
- Exercise can also help you to prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes
So, even if you can't afford good gym workouts to lose weight, it is well worth the effort to explore other avenues towards weight loss and healthy living. Remember, all the small changes add up over time and it WILL show in how you look and in how you feel about yourself. And you will be showing your kids how to lose weight without a diet, protecting them from the fad diet trap! You can do it!
