Get Active – The more effort the better
Every little bit of activity counts.
While we sit in a chair, even if our fingers are working the keyboard, not much real activity is actually happening. We could just as well be asleep in bed. Activity is when we move our big muscles, and the more effort the better.
Have a look at this table showing the energy level (number of calories/hour) of various activities for an average person:
- Lying down 0
- Sitting watching TV 0
- Standing 15
- Making the bed 70
- Getting dressed 70
- Walking slowly 100
- Vacuuming 170
- Walking with some effort 200
- Weeding garden 250
- Mowing lawn 350
- Chopping wood 350
- Jogging 400
- Water jogging 450
- Swimming crawl 450
- Biking moderate 450
- Running (10min mile pace) 600
Don’t worry about the specific number of calories, because these will vary according to the person’s weight, and besides, increasing activity is not primarily about weight-loss anyway but more about feeling good and maintaining the weight we have lost.
But do look at the calories/hour for both sitting and lying – yes, ZERO!
Now look at the differences between the various activities. See especially how calories/hour for walking with some effort is double that of walking slowly. You can double your current activity level achieved by walking simply by walking with some effort.
Every little bit of brisk walking during the day counts a lot, so be on the lookout for opportunities to swing those arms and legs and move.
Look also at the activity level of domestic chores beginning with vacuuming and then weeding the garden or mowing the lawn. You don’t have to become a gym-junkie to get active, maintain weight and be healthy.
Water jogging is something a number of us are doing – this rates pretty highly for activity level. More than chopping wood!
For those of us who have sitting down early-death-jobs, we’ve got to get out of that chair as often as we can; every 20 minutes is a good aim, even if it is to simply stand up and have a stretch. It’s better of course to walk down the corridor, perhaps involving some stairs.
We need to always be on the lookout for opportunities to increase our activity during the day and remember the more effort the better.
Take Control – Set short-term weight goals Eat Well (content) – Eat what your grandmother would have served
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