Valecia Weeks, LMT is a certified personal trainer and a Certified Lifestyle & Weight Management Specialist. She is also licensed in the state of Texas as a Corporate Chair Massage Therapist, providing on-site chair massage at such places as The Houston Methodist Hospital, The Houston Ballet, Exxon Mobil, BP, and the MS 150…to name a few.
Busy ladies, did you know that everything that you do burns calories? When you are breathing, sleeping, standing or anything in your everyday life that you seek to enjoy…you are burning calories. Just how easy is it to burn 100 calories? It just may surprise you how active or inactive, I should say, that you have to be to achieve that goal. To give you a snap shot of how simple it can be, I’ve listed a few different ways you can burn 100 calories in ways that you may have never imagined. This list ranges from every day exercises that are normally done in the few short minutes of your day to actual workouts.
When viewing the list, please keep in mind that not all “movement” is created equal. When you are sitting in church on Sunday morning and patting your feet, you are not burning one calorie. In order for an activity to be considered cardio exercise, you must be working at 60 to 80% of your maximum heart rate. But be sure not to discount less intense activity though. Although that may not be considered as part of your cardio workout, some movement is better than no movement. After all, the less sitting you do, the better!
Here are a few ways to burn calories:
Workouts:
- Biking: 23 minutes of casual cycling
- Cardio dance class: 15 minutes
- Swimming: 15 minutes moderate intensity
- Walking stairs: 11 minutes
- Walking: 20 minutes of walking at 3 mph
- Water aerobics: 23 minutes
- Zumba: 11 minutes
Yard Work:
- Mowing the lawn: 20 minutes
- Painting house: 18 minutes
- Washing the car: 20 minutes
- Pulling weeds: 18 minutes
Everyday Activities:
- Cleaning, moderate effort: 26 minutes
- Cooking: 34 minutes
- Doing dishes: 40 minutes
- Mopping the floor: 20 minutes
- Rearranging furniture: 14 minutes
- Shopping: 38 minutes
- Sweeping: 23 minutes
- Walking the dog, 26 minutes
Were you surprised by the amount of time it takes to burn 100 calories? Ladies, see which activities you can incorporate into your busy life to burn an extra 100 calories per day. Pick the ones that fit into your schedule and go for it!