Most of us groan about doing exercise and can barely muster up the enthusiasm to step inside a gym, let alone work out in it. So how can you include fitness into your daily life and still burn calories?
Aim for High intensity interval training (HIIT) whenever you can – it’s great as it burns calories quicker, is a total body workout and (crucially) it saves time. We caught up with Lauren Davis, PT at Everyone Active, and Fat Loss coach Karen Austin who gave us some sneaky tips on how to fit in those HIIT workouts and burn those calories without even noticing you’re doing it.
1. Doing the chores
Cleaning is a pretty boring task, but mixing things up a bit with some simple exercises will help make things more interesting AND up your fitness levels. Karen says:
‘Get the Hoover out and while you’re cleaning work in some lunges, do it from one side of the room to the other and then repeat in the different rooms. Then while you’re dusting get in some squats. Lastly make sure you switch between floors on a regular basis (if you live in a house) – that way you can do some quick sprints up the stairs as you go. A 30-minute spring cleaning session will help you burn 150 calories.’
2. During your commute
You know that leisurely bus rude you take every morning? Leave just 10 mins earlier and get this sneaky workout in your walk to work instead. Lauren says:
‘Either jump off the bus earlier or walk the whole way three times a week… For two minutes ensure you walk at a moderate speed (Approx. 5.0km per hour) then walk for one minute at your fastest pace, then repeat for 30 mins. You’ll burn around 200 – 400 calories each time.’
3. Use your lunchtime wisely
Did you know that a 20 second sprint will tone up your abs too? It’s true. Karen says: ‘Try alternating 20 second sprints with 20 seconds of squats… It can be in your lunch hour, or on your way home from work. Work flat out for that 10 or 15 minutes, to the point where you’re out of breath – this helps you burn calories quicker. Then you can go back to your desk feeling smug.’
4. While you’re cooking
Half an hour waiting for your food to cook is a pretty long time. Instead of sitting down to binge your latest Netflix fixation, find a space in your home and follow this body weight circuit. Lauren advises:
‘Jog for 30 seconds, press ups for 30 seconds, squats for 30 seconds, star jumps for 30 seconds, run up and down the stairs for 30 seconds, and then lunges up and down a room or hallway. Rest for one minute and then repeat until your dinner is ready. Aim to complete five rounds to burn off between 200-300 calories.’
5. Down time at work
Try and work in exercises to your daily routine, says Karen. ‘Do some squats when you wait for the kettle to boil or your meal to cook in the microwave.’
6. During the ad breaks
Adverts are also a perfect time for you to work out – three minutes gives you plenty of time to get in three 20 second exercises, done three times. Try the plank, sit ups and push-ups – then repeat.
7. Use your desk
‘If you sit at a desk set a timer to remind yourself every 30 mins to walk or move your body” says Lauren.
‘You can do HIIT at your desk too, just get colleagues to join in – otherwise they may think you’re a little mad. You can do triceps dips off on your desk, as well as push ups. Create a bit of room and burpees can be done too, then lastly try and fit in a few planks and sit ups. Then repeat, until you’re really out of breath.’
8. Take the stairs
It’s so easy to hop in a lift without thinking but, says Karen, opting to take the stairs provides a fantastic opportunity to boost fitness levels.
‘If you always take the lift then even going up one flight of stairs will work wonders for you. Start with that and every week add in a different flight… Then when your body gets used to it, start running up the stairs – you could be burning up to 150 calories a day just by walking up stairs!’
