Last Updated on November 17, 2015 by Michael Brockbank
As the rain picks up in strength, it has denied me my walk tonight. Kind of a bummer since I needed to burn some calories. Luckily, there are many other things I can do in the house that can be consider cardio activities. What can you do in the house to get the blood pumping?
Bad weather can put a whammy on all kinds of outdoor activities. Instead of sitting back and chalking the day up to failure, get on your feet and get some movement in. Here are seven things that I do in the house to burn calories when the weather gets bad:
- XBox Kinect
I am a firm believer in using gaming technology to help boost physical fitness. If you haven’t worked up a sweat while playing the Kinect, you’re doing it wrong. In reality, the Kinect was the only true reason why I bought an Xbox to begin with. Everything else has been icing on the cake. - Vigorous Cleaning
Instead of viewing cleaning as a chore, consider it as a method in which to get some exercise. Washing the walls, scrubbing carpets by hand or perhaps painting the stair railing all contributes to keeping the body in motion. That’s the key to a clean home – focusing on the calorie burn. - Dumbbells
I have a pair of 10-pound dumbbells that I’ll be using here in about 15 minutes. It’s not a lot of weight, but it’s enough to get some physical activity while reinforcing muscle toning and strength. There’s often times when I’ll watch television while standing in the middle of the living room while doing some curls. Unfortunately, I often lose count. - Exercise Mat
I have a purple exercise mat that experiences a lot of use. Yes, I said purple. Laying leg raises, planks and other core work can be done in a short amount of time in virtually any room. It’s also an incredibly comfortable place to do body stretching – ideal for keeping the muscles loose. - Rearranging the Living Room
Sometimes I’ll move furniture around just to see if it looks good in a room and then move it back. You never know, you might set things up a new way that is far superior to what you had before. Remember, you’re only trying to burn calories at this point. It may sound silly to some, but it really does work. - Playing the Wii
We have a lot of Wii games in the house. While it’s easy to cheat the Wii by sitting on the couch with the controller, you can still get a good deal of exercise if you make it a rule to be on your feet. In our house, if the Wii is on – you’re standing up to play it. - Laps Inside the House
This can get you quite a few looks from other people in the home. Circumnavigate your way around the interior of the house for about 15 minutes. It’s a sure-fire way to get under someone’s skin who you want to move out anyway – long story.
These are only some of the things that I enjoy doing when the weather is too bad to go outside. Any one of these activities has potential to burn a lot of calories as long as you’re not cheating yourself. Keep the body mobile and live a more fit and healthy lifestyle.