How to get in some extra exercise around the holidays

Exercising doesn't always have to mean heading to the gym or going for a run. If fact, reaching your daily exercise goals don't all have to be done at the same time. You can split it up in shorter duration's throughout the day, which is great during Winter and the holidays when finding time is even harder. So here are a few quick and easy ways to burn a few extra calories this holiday in and outside the house, and some that you didn't even know you were already doing.

One of the reasons it's hard for people to find time to exercise is because they may be hosting people over for the holidays and need to skip the gym to get some stuff done around the house. This is actually fine, as I mentioned before you don't always have to go to the gym to get a workout, there are plenty of way to be active around the house. This is a great time to do some housework done such as vacuuming, dusting, and laundry. All of these mundane chores burn calories,  as well as check off some of your to do list. These things may not seem like a lot of work individually, but if you were to do them all together it may take a few hours to get them all accomplished.

Laundry: Doing your laundry may seem very simple, but since you do it all the time you may not realize how good it is for your. You have to gather your clothes, then walk to your washer/dryer, which may be down a flight of stairs or if you live in an apartment might even be in a different building. Then you might have to squat down to get your things out of the dryer.Then you have to fold and put all of your items away. Plus you have to take a few trips to finish a full load of laundry and then if you are doing multiple loads, all of those trips will add up. Doing one full load of laundry including 3 trips to get the clothes from the washer to the dryer can burn from 60-80 Calories.

Dusting: Again a very simple task, but adds up if you were to dust your whole house. To dust everything, you must move the objects in the way and then place them back where they were, depending on the size of your house and the items in your house, this could take up to an hour in which you are constantly standing and moving. Dusting for 15 minutes can burn 30 Calories.

Vacuuming: Think of all of the steps you take while vacuuming your entire house and the strength it takes your arms to push the vacuum around. For 15 minutes of vacuuming, you can burn 40 Calories.

Decorating: Now that your house is all clean, you will want to decorate it for Christmas. Grabbing all of your decorations from where ever they may be stored, to setting things up around your house and decorating a tree, you will be standing and moving for a while. Depending on the size of your house, or the amount of decorations you are putting up, you could be burning up to 300 Calories for an hours worth of work.

Decorating cookies or holiday cooking: After your house is ready to host your guest you might be in charge of making the food for your party. While you are busy cooking, baking and preparing your meal, you can burn up to 90 Calories in an hour.

Now that your house is all ready for Christmas, there may be a few things outside you need to get done before the holidays. I know it can be cold during the winter but these activities will keep you warm as well as burn some calories.

Parking further away while shopping: Another way to get some more steps in,  is while you are out Christmas shopping(Something you were going to do anyway). Instead of driving around the parking lot trying to find the best spot, park the furthest away from the entrance and walk. Don't forget to count the walking you are doing in the store as well as the walk back to your car. You can burn up to 30 Calories for 15 minutes of walking.

Shoveling: This is a great way to keep warm in the winter. Shoveling can burn up to 200 Calories for 30 minutes of work and is a great full body workout.

Walking the dog: Taking the dog for a walk can get annoying some time, so try switching up the time or location you do it. You can walk the dog after you get home at night when it is dark and you can enjoy the Christmas lights and decorations your neighbors have put up.Or try a new dog park, your dog will love it and you will have a tired pup when you leave, its a win win for everyone. Walking your dog for 30 minutes can burn up to 100 Calories.

Below are a few more winter activities that you may want to try that burn some serious calories:

  • Snowboarding/Skiing
  • Ice skating
  • Sledding
  • Making a snowman or igloo
  • Cross Country skiing/snowshoeing
  • Ice fishing
  • Walking around the city and looking at Christmas lights and decorations
So get out there and enjoy the holiday while being active 

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