Today was supposed to be a "walk 20 minutes" day. For my "walk" I mowed the front lawn and back play area with a gas push mower. My face is hot, my heart is beating. I believe I exercised! I normally don't mow the lawn, but my sister and niece might be coming this afternoon for a pool playdate and I wanted them not to have to use a machete to get to the pool. (It's been raining a lot here.)
That got me thinking. Vintage ladies generally didn't go to the gym. Housework provided enough exercise for them as long as they didn't overeat. I decided to make a list of other ways I could incorporate exercise as a part of my regular activities rather than a separate "exercise time."
Here's what I came up with:
- Walk to my grocery store (1/2 mile away--uphill)
- Continue to mow the lawn with the push mower
- Instead of collecting everything at the bottom of the stairs to take up all at once, take each item straight up the stairs as I come across it.
- Vacuum more often than once a week (?)
- Do a hands-and-knees scrub of the kitchen floor more than once a month (?) (I use a mop the rest of the time.)
What do you think? Can you add some ideas to my everyday chores that would be done anyway but would provide more of a "workout" as I do them?
The main reason I haven't walked to the grocery store (besides that dratted hill) is that I don't have a way to get the groceries back home. Suggestions?
4 comments:
Congratulations on your progress! I've been doing a version of your "cocktail" with tomato juice (yes, I know it has a lot of salt!). I love the idea of taking items upstairs one at a time. I wish I had stairs in my house. I did a walk around my neighborhood early this morning. It was a little chilly so I had my hands stuffed inside my sweater pockets. A little "old" lady passed me by smiling and said, "swing your arms, girl!" So I did.
Tessa--HA! I love it! We need to listen to our elders.
Isn't the cocktail yummy? It has oil in it which provides a good fat. It just needs a protein and it could work as a meal replacement. I wonder how one could easily add a protein for a quick, on-the-go type of meal?
Chilly where you are? It's been chilly here, too, but TODAY it's 81 degrees!! I have a wading pool all set up and ready to go for my son and his cousin to play in today.
I do need to make more use of the "stair-master" in my home!
Hey Roxanne,
Use a grocery cart like this to get the groceries home:
http://www.stacksandstacks.com/kitchen-shopping-carts-page-1/
A benefit is that you'll only buy what you need! Since I live in the heart of Los Angeles, I see people use these kinds of carts all the time.
Dr. Julie-Ann--that looks like a good idea. I will see if they have something like that available locally. I like the liners, too.
Thanks for the tip!
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