We get it: life gets hectic, you're busy, and it's not always easy to squeeze in a workout. Worry not! Fitness influencer Katie Austin offers a series of one-minute workouts that will tone, tighten, and sculpt your body.
Exercise is a key contributor to health and happiness: Beyond triggering that runner's high, it's associated with a higher quality of life, improved health, and a better mood. But missing a few gym sessions doesn’t mean staying active has to fall by the wayside.
Sneaking cardio into daily life can save time and improve fitness, sometimes on par with the benefits of a scheduled sweat session. And more time getting moving in our daily lives means less time sitting, which can lower the risk for heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and early death. While intense exercise is good for us, it doesn’t completely erase the effects of a sedentary lifestyle, so making an effort to get moving throughout the day can have some serious long-term benefits.
So how much cardio is enough, and what are some ways to fit it in? The Center for Disease Control (CDC) recommends 150 minutes per week of moderate aerobic exercise, plus two days per week of strength training.
If it's 30 continuous minutes of activity or three 10-minute sessions, we've got 13 simple ways to get more active for even the busiest person, whether at home, work, or play.
(Keep in mind calories burned13 unexpected ways to fit in cardio
varies depending on age, build, gender, and weight.)
1. Be a stair master: But consider taking them one at a time, not two. Researchers found that while the rate of caloric expenditure is higher when taking two at a time, the burn over an entire flight is more when taking one at a time. In one study, participants climbed a 15-meter stairway five times a day with an average of 302 calories burned per week using one step and 266 calories per week using the double step.
2. Walk and talk: Make like the West Wing and hold walking meetings. While moderate walking uses almost two-and-a-half times the energy of sitting in a meeting, mobile meetings can also strengthen work relationships, improve health, and boost creativity.
3. Please stand up: Think of your ring tone as an alarm to get up out of the chair. Throw in a few bodyweight exercises before sitting back down (and check out this list for some great ideas).
4. Hydrate often: Getting lots of H2O means more trips to the bathroom (drinking water might also help ramp up metabolism). Pick a bathroom on a different floor, and visit it often.
5. No more lazy layovers: Stuck in the airport because of a delayed flight? Don’t just sit there. Do terminal laps — but skip the moving sidewalks!
6. Ditch the drive: Bike or walk to work instead. In addition to adding stress, commuting via public transportation or car can rack up sitting time and lead to weight gain. Just make sure to follow some basic safety precautions and rules of the road!
7. Clean machine: Chores — they have to get done, so why not make them into a workout? Vacuuming can burn about 75 calories per half-hour, while washing the car uses more than double that.
8. Made in the shade: While running errands, park in the shadiest spot, not the closest, to log more steps and keep the car cool.
9. Take a lap (or three!): Browsing the perimeter of a grocery store can do more than just promote healthy food choices. Take a couple of laps to compare prices and rack up some steps! Pushing a cart around the grocery store uses 105 to 155 calories in a half-hour. Bonus points for lugging home the groceries.
10. Hit the dance floor: Shake it to your favorite beat (but we’re not talking Taylor Swift). Just 30 minutes — or about seven or eight songs — of fast dancing can use up 180 to 266 calories.
11. Take an active date: Challenge your date to a game of tennis. In addition to burning 210 to 311 calories in 30 minutes, tennis may improve bone health, reduce risk for cardiovascular disease, and lower body fat. Looking for more options to give dates a fitness twist? We've got plenty of ideas for any season.
12. “Shopping is my cardio”: Words of wisdom from Carrie Bradshaw. Enough said. (Except that a two-hour shopping expedition uses almost 300 calories, or 75 per half-hour.)
13. Game night: So-called “exergames” — such as on the Kinect or Wii Fit Plus— have been shown to increase energy expenditure up to three times more than just sitting. But while these games are better than parking on the couch, energy burn can vary quite a bit depending on the game.
Exercise doesn’t have to be done at the gym, on a track, or even in workout clothes. Little bits of exercise throughout the day can add up — just get creative! Pair some of these sneaky cardio boosters with unexpected strength training to vary the routine and meet the weekly recommendations for exercise.
Have favorite ways to sneak in cardio? Share in the comments below!
This article originally appeared on Greatist.com
This story is part of Health’s #RealLifeStrong series, where we are celebrating women who represent strength, resilience, and grace.
Four years ago—the last time I was in Afghanistan to visit my family—I tried to explain to my mother why I’d taken up running. “What are you running away from?” she kept asking. Not until she listened to my tone of voice did she finally understand.
“It must be nice to have an escape,” she said.
When I was born, my parents lived in a refugee camp in Iran. To this day, I’m not sure of my exact birthdate. My mother couldn’t read or write, so when she was given my birth certificate, she lost it.
After I turned 8, my family moved me and my eight siblings from Iran to Kunduz, one of the most conservative provinces in Afghanistan. Girls can’t go to public school there. Outside, we had to be covered up, without any bare skin showing. People judged you if your eyes looked up, not down. By the time I was a teenager, I was dying of seeing nothing but pavement.
“If anyone touches you on the street, walk faster. Don’t say anything,” my mother instructed me. But if I was harassed by a man, I couldn’t stay quiet. I would try to slap them. It didn’t go well. Shopkeepers would say, “If you don’t want to be touched, why are you outside?” Sick of me getting into fights, my parents allowed me to attend the first female boarding school in Afghanistan, in Kabul.
My father stopped going to school at age 11. My mother didn’t learn to sign her name until she was 47. Still, they taught me to value education. I learned English and at 14, came to the U.S. to attend boarding school in Rhode Island on a scholarship.
I was in culture shock at first. People spoke so fast! I worried that the bed in my dorm room was by a window. What if there was a bomb blast? For weeks, I slept on the floor.
Walking at night also scared me. I associated that time of day with shooting between Taliban soldiers and the government. It took a long time before I felt ready to brave the one-minute walk from the library to my dorm alone.
I was feeling homesick when the cross-country coach encouraged me to start running with the team. At first, I didn’t want to. I’m Hijabi, meaning I choose to cover my hair like I always had growing up. I knew I’d look different. My coach wouldn’t take that as an excuse. The next thing I knew, I was picking out a pair of running shoes.
I discovered I loved running. Each practice felt like a small victory that gave me confidence for the rest of the day. Still, when I first began running in my hijab, a lot of people looked at me with raised eyebrows.
“Why are you torturing yourself, covered up in the heat of summer?” people asked. Or, “You’re in America now. You have freedom. Why not use it?”
They didn’t understand: I grew up in a country where girls are raised to do everything to make the life of men better—to cook, to clean, to make breakfast. Girls in Kunduz don’t go to school. They wear the clothes that a man tells them to, and they marry who they’re told to. The inequalities in Afghanistan are the result of many decades of war and foreign invasion.
Each time I ran, whether fifteen minutes or an hour, was truly “free” time I was giving myself.
I’m 21 now and have finished a marathon and half-marathons as well as a 50-mile ultra-marathon. I’m going to be a senior at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, majoring in biochemistry, and I still run five to six times a week. I also find time to write about my experiences.
When I was first thinking about running, I looked online to find other Muslim girls running in hijab. I didn’t find much, so I decided to make my own blog: The Hijabi Runner.
I hope it helps other Muslim women choose an active lifestyle and non-Muslims realize how difficult it is to be an identifiable Muslim in the West right now. Google the word and the first thing you’ll see are images of 9/11, war in Iraq, jihads, men who have four wives. These are things Islam is associated with, but the way we Muslims say hi to each other is “Peace be upon you.” How did my peaceful religion become associated with such violent images?
After I finished my ultra-marathon, my sister, a lawyer in Afghanistan, congratulated me. “In honor of your race,” she said, “I bought myself a treadmill, but running outside will be my dream.”
We Afghan women have a long path ahead—but I believe in the power of small changes.
Most acts of bravery in my life were not because I one day woke up and said, “I’m going to stand up for myself.” Being strong was the only choice.
Zahra Arabzada is an ambassador for Free to Run, an organization that aims to empower women and girls in conflict-affected communities around the world.
We want to hear more amazing stories about #RealLifeStrong women. Nominate yourself—or a friend or family member—here. We’ll be sharing the most inspiring stories we receive in the months ahead.
During the workweek you’re pretty good about sticking with healthy habits. You order oatmeal for breakfast, hit the gym during your lunch break and whip up simple, light dinners after work. But Friday night through Sunday, something changes: Weekends mean time to let lose and that translates into eating and drinking too much paired with moving too little. Even when you can anticipate the challenge ahead and mentally prepare, the sabotage keeps happening.
RELATED: 12 DIY Kitchen Projects to Clean Up Your Eating Habits
Ready to stop this hurtful cycle and nix the Monday morning remorse? Follow these nine expert-backed fresh tips to make your time off a bit healthier so you can begin each week a lot happier.
1. Get the mimosa, Bloody Mary or the pancakes.
There’s nothing wrong with indulging in a little something extra on a lazy weekend morning, says Jessica Fishman Levinson, R.D., a New York-based nutrition communications consultant and founder of Nutrioulicious. The key here isn’t to deprive yourself but rather to make smart choices so you treat yourself without going completely overboard. If you’d love a mimosa or Bloody Mary, order one — but then skip the pancakes in favor of egg whites with veggies. If you’re craving fluffy carbs, fine, but skip the morning booze (and go easy on the syrup!).
RELATED: When Is It OK to Cheat? The Pros and Cons of Cheat Days
2. Eat breakfast before brunch.
This might sound like a mistake — why double-down on calories? But if you’re brunching at noon (or later) yet waking up at 9 a.m. (or earlier), it’s the best way to make sure you don’t overeat. The goal isn’t to eat two full meals, but rather to chow down on something so that you’re not famished by the time you join friends at the table. Plus, since you’ll be preparing the food yourself, you’ll know exactly what you’re consuming — calories, fat and all. Some fruit with a half-cup of Greek yogurt should be sufficient to tide you over until the main event, says Julie Upton, R.D., co-founder of Appetite for Health.
3. Sit at a table whenever you eat.
Being home all day often means non-stop munching instead of eating real meals. That sounds harmless enough, but those little nibbles can add up quickly. “Grazing trips up the body’s natural hunger and appetite regulation system so you never feel completely full,” says Upton. “People who graze often eat more calories than individuals who eat three meals and two snacks per day.” So no more eating in front of the refrigerator. Instead, take a few minutes to prepare a real meal (even if it’s just a sandwich) and sit down in the kitchen or dining room while you enjoy it.
RELATED: 7 Ways to Stop Unhealthy Food Cravings
4. Order two appetizers.
When you’re dining out you might feel tempted to try multiple dishes on the menu, and that’s normal. Simply satisfy your curiosity and save calories by ordering two appetizers instead of an app plus an entree, says Levinson. Many restaurants will let you turn an “entree” (such as pasta) into an “appetizer” by ordering a half portion, so don’t be afraid to ask for that either.
RELATED: 9 Simple Tricks to Eat More Mindfully — Starting Now
5. Be picky about the unlimited freebies.
Maybe you’ve heard that you should never touch the bread basket, but is that realistic? Forget perfection and strike a balance. Ask yourself if that bread really looks amazing, and if so, have a piece and don’t feel bad about it, says Levinson. But does it look only OK? Don’t waste the calories then. Same goes for those tortilla chips at Mexican restaurants. (If you’re ordering guacamole, wait for it to arrive before you start nibbling.) When the waiter comes around and asks if you want a refill on chips or bread, make “no thanks” your mantra.
6. Eat healthy foods first.
Weekends tend to be packed with special events like weddings and cocktail parties, which means you’ll likely be presented with an array of tasty (and free!) food. But before you start piling items on your plate, do a lap around the buffet table to check out the offerings. Research has shown that people who do so tend to be thinner than those who just dive right in. Next, start by loading up on the healthiest items first — crudités, shrimp cocktail, fruit — so you fill up a little before you sample the higher-cal treats like quiche and baked brie, says Upton.
7. Order vodka and soda instead of a vodka tonic.
You already know that alcoholic drinks can be calorie bombs, especially if you opt for fruity mixed cocktails. A vodka tonic isn’t a terrible choice, says Levinson, but you might be surprised that tonic water isn’t the same thing as seltzer. Seltzer is just plain water with some bubbles added, so it’s zero calories. But tonic water contains corn syrup — along with about 120 calories per 12-ounce bottle. That isn’t such a big deal if you can stop at one, but if you’re going to be having several throughout the evening it’s worth making the swap. Of course, it’s also smart to alternate between alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks and to eat something (ideally something semi-healthy) before you start boozing.
RELATED: How Many Calories Are in Your Cocktail? [INFOGRAPHIC]
8. Blab about your efforts.
When you’re gathered with friends around the TV watching sports or a Netflix movie, it’s all too easy to keep noshing on the finger foods in front of you. So speak up beforehand: “Ask the host if you can bring a healthier option,” says Levinson. She also suggests telling close friends how hard you’ve been trying to eat well and being straightforward about asking for their support. “Say, ‘I’ve been working really hard on maintaining my weight loss, or I’m really trying to lose five pounds, so if you see me overdoing it don’t be afraid to give me a little nudge.'”
9. Plan ahead!
“The number one tip I can offer is to plan in advance,” says Levinson. She recommends taking a moment on Friday afternoon to ponder your weekend plans so you can make some choices before you get caught up in the moment. “Allow yourself room to have one special thing that you wouldn’t typically have during the week at each event,” she says. If you’re headed to a birthday dinner, for example, there’s no need to skip the cake…but you might want to forgo the fried calamari app. Going to be watching a big game? Leave room for beer by taking a pass on the chips. Knowing what’s in store and planning for it can make for a more positive outcome.
More from DailyBurn:
6 Ways to Naturally Boost Your Metabolism
Low-Calorie Foods That Will Actually Fill You Up
12 Brilliant Meal Prep Ideas to Free Up Your Time
This article originally appeared on Life by DailyBurn.
They’ll work more than just your core.
Learn their simple secrets to healthy living.
Ready, set, plank.
Last week, I learned how to fly.
Along with a group of other lucky writers and editors, I was treated to an outing at iFly Westchester, an indoor skydiving facility not far from New York City. We were there to celebrate the New Balance Fresh Foam Cruz–and get quite the adrenaline rush.
Far too afraid of the potential for things to go dangerously, dangerously wrong, I'd never be able to jump out of an actual, moving plane–but indoor skydiving felt like almost all the thrill without the obvious risk. The cushion of air that supports indoor flyers functions not unlike that classic science experiment you probably remember from elementary school: switch on a hair dryer, watch ping pong balls float miraculously. Except in this case, there's a giant "hair dryer" in a skydiving tunnel and even the tallest of guys became as light as ping pong balls. With the guidance of ultra-compassionate instructors, several groups of disbelieving journalists took turns floating low to the ground and spinning high.
Speaking of floating: The Fresh Foam Cruz sneakers we were gifted felt nearly as freeing. The plush sole is supportive yet cushiony, making it a truly multipurpose shoe that can work for your workouts (whether they're extreme or of a more moderate intensity) and tackling errands. The athleisure vibe means these kicks go with just about anything, and the bootie construction makes them super-easy to slip on and off. They're divinely lightweight, meaning you'll definitely want to pack them for a weekend away–because who really has room for more than one pair of sneakers?!
New Balance Fresh Foam Cruz Knit in Rain Cloud with White Munsell, $85, newbalance.com
Even the iFly instructors donned a pair–a fact I only realized halfway through the event. I was too spellbound watching the experienced instructors pull off all kinds of synchronized stunts and daring tricks.
Nico sure made it look easy. Considering I couldn't even successfully turn ever so slightly to my right, I think it's safe to say I'm going to need a lot more indoor skydiving practice. My new sneaks, on the other hand? Perfect on the first try.
Less than a quarter of Americans are meeting all national physical activity guidelines, according to a new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).
Federal physical activity guidelines recommend that adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise each week, in addition to muscle-strengthening activities at least twice a week. But according to the new NCHS report, which drew on five years of data from the National Health Interview Survey, only about 23% of adults ages 18 to 64 are hitting both of those marks. Another 32% met one but not both, and almost 45% did not hit either benchmark.
Those numbers fluctuated somewhat depending on gender, occupation and home state. More men (roughly 27%) than women (almost 19%) met both guidelines, and both genders saw slightly higher percentages among working adults (almost 29% and 21%, respectively).
The authors also added that people working in managerial or “professional” positions were more likely than individuals in production roles, such as assembly and manufacturing, to meet the standards. However, the report looked only at leisure-time physical activity, so adults who log exercise through active jobs or commutes were not included in the findings.
Some states saw adherence rates well above the national average, while others were well below. Colorado led the pack, with 32.5% of adults meeting both federal exercise guidelines. In Mississippi, just 13.5% of adults reported meeting both exercise guidelines.
With some exceptions, states on the West Coast and in the Northeast tended to have higher percentages of residents meeting the guidelines than states in the South. Residents of states in the Southeast had particularly low rates. High levels of unemployment and disability or poor health in a state were correlated with lower rates of meeting exercise guidelines, the researchers found.
In all, the results suggest that most Americans should try to squeeze more exercise into their time off, given its well-established connections to everything from chronic disease prevention to mental and cognitive health benefits.
During college, an acquaintance who took her wrinkle-fighting regimen very seriously told me she purposely didn’t spend much time outside. I couldn't relate when she confessed this to me. Conjuring up visions of the soccer camps of my youth, my family's many ocean-side vacations, and the countless outdoor runs I had racked up over the years, I remember thinking,You’re really, really missing out. Not to mention, we’re only in our 20s!
Now, on the other side of 30, I’m still not down to limit my time in nature for the sake of my skin. (That’s what sunscreen is for, isn’t it?!) But as fine lines (and, frankly, some deeper wrinkles, too) have started to set in, I began wondering if there were skincare habits I should have been practicing more religiously in my 20s.
Since I can’t go back in time and provide 25-year-old me with some retinol cream, I recently decided to make some small skin-friendly changes. I caved in to decades of nudging from my mother and started wearing hats on those afore-mentioned beach trips, and I learned how to sleep on my back. I even took to running with sunglasses, which I sure hope is resulting in less crow’s-feet-inducing squinting (and, of course, protection for my peepers).
RELATED: 8 Things You Should Never Do to Your Eyes
For the longest time I couldn’t understand how people ran in sunglasses comfortably. Anytime I had tried it, the shades either slipped down my nose, bumped around on my face, or simply obstructed my vision–not OK when you're already dodging New York City traffic. But when I was sent a sample of Roka Kona glasses to try, they totally won me over.
The Kona sunglasses come in a handful of color options, but I've been rocking the sleek shadow frame with bronze polarized lenses ($210; roka.com, amazon.com), pictured above. Roka is a performance brand, with loads of products geared toward swimmers, cyclists, runners, and triathletes, so it’s no surprise that the features on these babies deliver.
For starters, they weight just 24 grams, light enough to forget they’re on your face, but sturdy enough to stand up to the elements. I love the patented GEKO pads on the nose and at the temples–they’re designed to actually grip better once you start to sweat, so the sunnies seriously don’t slip or bounce. The polarized lenses not only cut glare, they're also formulated to block damaging UVA and UVB rays. I also happen to find the square shape flattering on my longish, roundish face (a Klein family trait if there ever was one!).
RELATED: Why Those Tiny Sunglasses Celebs Love Aren't Actually Good for Your Eyes
At $210 a pop, Kona glasses are certainly an investment–but they’re worth the splurge, especially since it’s not like you have to only wear them for working out. If your budget's a little tighter, you might want to consider the non-polarized lenses instead, which will run you $170.
Since my own pair of Konas was a gift, I recently decided to spread the love and purchased the stylish white frames for a dear friend who was relatively new to running and needed some great gear. So far, she's been loving hers too. Be sure to wave if you spot us running together in our matching sunglasses in Brooklyn's Prospect Park this summer!
