Comments on: The Joys of Passive Exercise

By: Amy

Amy — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 14:50:34 +0000

I thought of a couple more this morning.

When brushing your teeth lean forward until your elbows are resting on the countertop in the bathroom and then relax your back and focus on sticking your but up in the air towards the ceiling. When I do this the backs of my legs stretch. I hold this the entire time I am brushing my teeth. It feels great.

The other one I got from my 12 year old cousin. When he is standing and talking to someone he reaches behind his back with his left hand and grabs ahold of his right elbow next time I see him he has switched hands. It is a great stretch for the upper chest and shoulders. (I can only grab in the middle of my forearm.)

By: Tiffany

Tiffany — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 16:10:40 +0000

I have been sitting at my desk more then normally lately, so I have taken an extra step. I do small leg lifts and calf stretches under my desk and will do arm lift with small weights while I sit and read reports. I don’t count because I can’t read and count at the same time but by the end of the day some muscles are sore, so it is doing a little help.

By: Debbie M

Debbie M — Wed, 20 Aug 2008 21:30:45 +0000

It’s amazing how many things turn into “exercise” when you quit doing anything most of the time but sit in a chair. Sitting on the floor? Reading in bed? So true, though.

Why do grown-ups quit sitting on the floor or reading in bed? And besides getting all mature and professional, we also get very efficient at doing things.

Exercises I add to my day:

I add both calf raises and lunges to my tooth-brushing regimen. I park at the first place I see rather than the closest space I see and walk. I walk any place close. I sometimes hold a squat before sitting all the way. I do leg lifts in my desk chair while the computer tells me to “please wait.” I run to catch the door if it’s closing so I don’t have to enter the secret code. I carry around way too much crap in my knapsack that I drag to and from work. I pace while waiting for the bus. I sometimes do bicep curls, etc. when carrying purchases in bags with handles on the way to the car.

Ways I refuse convenience:

I take stairs instead of the elevator. I use a fork instead of a mixer (usually). I use a knife or cheese grater (or blender) instead of a food processor. I don’t have an electric can opener or carving knife. I hang my laundry to dry.

I know people who deliberately refuse to move into a first-floor apartment so they will be forced into some exercise.

By: Amy

Amy — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:48:17 +0000

Something that I have been doing for years is laying on my belly in bed when I am reading. Doing this I have kept my spine flexible, strengthened my lower back and stretch the front of my body. I prop my self up on a pillow and rest on my elbows.

By: DR

DR — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 15:39:16 +0000

Well said Lauren!

A few years ago, I saw a study performed on a Amish community up here in Canada (Waterloo, Ontario to be exact).

They outfitted the adults with pedometers and tracked the number of steps that were walked each day.

The men walked approximately 19,000 steps while the women recorded just over 14,000 steps.

No aerobics classes or weight lifting or spinning.

Just hard work…resulting in 0% male obesity and 9% female obesity

Link to abstract – http://www.ms-se.com/pt/re/msse/abstract.00005768-200401000-00016.htm;jsessionid=LqyTj8hyT3ST1TkWg0gT2g1LRzm1KQV0LGQlKVxJv2nX92zRlkpj!-1124491571!181195628!8091!-1