How To Exercise Without Noticing It

We all want to be healthy and look our best, but sometimes it is hard to find the time or the motivation to exercise. Sometimes, you just don't want to do it. But do not fear my friends, for there are magical ways to exercise without realizing you are exercising!

1. Walk, instead of taking the car. Today, people rely heavily on their cars, even for short distances. But if you walk instead, it will only be a little bit longer and you'll get some exercise in. Yes, you will probably realize that you are exercising, but you can trick yourself into thinking you're not if it's a nice day out, and you think to yourself: what a lovely day! Wouldn't it be magical to be outside? Eventually you will become used to walking and will go outside even if it's raining, and go for longer walks. This can be a good way to introduce exercise into your life style if you're not used to exercising at all.

2. Take a different, slightly longer path to wherever you're going. This one ties into the first one, but differs in that you are taking a longer path, rather than the shortest one. The odds are if you're already used to walking to a place, you won't notice a five minute increase in the time it takes you to get somewhere. That may not seem like a lot of extra exercise, but it does add up. If you walk somewhere and back four times a week, that's an extra forty minutes a week. That sounds like the length of an exercise session, but I bet you'd hardly notice.

3. Park far away from the store on purpose. People love to find the Golden Parking Spot, but quite often it's not there. And you waste gas and time looking for it, where it would probably be faster to just park far away and walk up. Again, it may not seem like a lot, but these things add up over time.

4. Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Elevators are more convenient, especially if you don't know where you are going, but taking the stairs can provide an extra mini workout. I try to take the stairs myself when I can, and I find that you don't notice the difference very much. Now if you live on the 33rd floor of an apartment building, you may want to work up to that. But what you could do is take the elevator and get off one or two flights before ground level so you get in some extra exercise.

These exercises probably won't make you fit just by doing them and nothing else, but they will definitely help. Although they are mostly cardio, and it is important to do strength training as well if you are trying to lose weight, so that you keep lean muscle mass. One potential way to do strength without really noticing it is to lift random objects (not too heavy or light), or to carry your dog or baby around. But make sure you are lifting things properly, and not putting a strain on your muscles, so that you don't injure yourself. I hope this helps you lose weight, or helps you to find the motivation to add in more exercise.

What is your favorite way of exercising?