increasing the hidden activity for a healthy lifestyle

  • i recently moved to a new house. so, for me this increased activity is from a set of stairs and a much bigger house to clean. 3x bigger actually. so there's activity built into my day just cleaning more and walking up the stairs throughout the day. oh and we also gained a driveway to shovel and yard to rake and garden in.

    other chickies may have noticed their busy jobs help keep the weight off.

    i love the idea of increasing our hidden burned cal. to lose or maintain weight loss.

    post yours!
  • I live in the midwest and we were hammered with a huge ice storm - 3+ inches of ice! I've been working for the last 3 hours on the driveway, trying to chisel away the ice, and I'm only about 3/4 of the way done (and it's NOT a large driveway!) BUT! I've been contracting my abdominal muscles while I hammer away at the ice, so its like I'm getting a added workout!
  • I'm running after a 22 month old...
    (I think this doesn't need any explanations)
  • While I am male, I work in a convenience store that was rebuilt last year and is about 6 times bigger. I regularly have to restock, front and center items, and walk from one end of the store to another to get everything I need for restocking. I also keep walking around the store when I don't have customers looking for things to do or simply doing things that need doing keep nearly constantly active at a low activity rate for 8 hours a day 5 days a week.
  • We have a couple flight of stairs too. I used to try to avoid going up and down them - waiting to take things down or bring them up until I have an armload to carry. I now purposefully go up and down every time I have anything that needs carrying.

    My son's elementary school is about a half mile away. I used to drive it to pick him up from school. When the weather cooperates, I now walk to get him.

    I used to make my husband carry the groceries in from the car, now I get them and hand them off to him at the door.

    I should be cleaning my big house more (with basement 3600 sq feet), but I don't. I hate cleaning, but I'm going to make a better go at it - tackling two rooms a day, Monday - Friday. and I KNOW how much calories I burn doing that! Tons (which is why I usually avoid it - too much work!)

    Sorry, I'll leave shoveling to my husband and teenage boy, but I do all the gardening/flower bed maintenance and we share mowing duties.

    Good thread!
  • fattymcfatty - Right there with you, with my 3 year old and 1 year old!
  • I work for a company that distributes laboratory equipment- but we all where multiple hats. So in the afternoons I often ship. (Unpacking and packing boxes, shipping etc). I actually really hate shipping- but not because of the physical aspect of it. I just have so many other jobs that need to be done at my desk!

    Regardless, when I'm out in the warehouse shipping, I always repeat to myself "Move with a purpose!" It works with house work too. Instead of dragging my feet around and slowly going through the motions of cleaning, etc.. I move with a purpose. And that purposed would be to do it, and get it done!

    LR
  • Light Raven - your start weight, current weight, end weight and your height are all about the same as mine! And we both joined in January. Totally cool! Good luck to you!