Seven ways to exercise – without realising it

Fitness doesn’t have to be about going to the gym and doing exercise. Photo / 123RF

New research has shown that everyday activities may be as beneficial as a gym workout.

Something slightly odd has happened to exercise in the last 50 years and a new study may be about to transform our sense of what makes us fit.

Thanks to the popularising of jogging in the 1970s, aerobics in the 1980s and the gym boom of the last decade, keeping fit is something we do in special clothes, using specific techniques and at pre-arranged moments in our week. In the past we would have been caring for horses, hefting sacks of coal and hand-washing our clothes: all of it making us fitter but none of it labelled exercise. It’s not so long ago that we walked to each shop on the high street, rather than get into the car for a big Waitrose shop.

New research from Cambridge University has found that as little as 11 minutes a day of moderate-intensity exercise was proven to be enough to reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease by 17 per cent and cancer by 7 per cent.

“Health doesn’t have to be about going to the gym and doing exercise – it can be about whatever you can fit into your daily schedule,” says Dr Soren Brage, who led the project. “I don’t care if  you call it exercise or not – it could be walking to your local shop to buy some bread, so long as you do it.”

Not only do these everyday bursts of activity help our health, they also assist in the battle with excess body fat. David Stensel, professor of exercise metabolism at Loughborough University, points to a classic study carried out by researcher James Levine. “They took 10 people who had obesity and 10 people who didn’t – both groups were self-proclaimed non-exercisers. They measured their movements throughout the day using monitors on their clothing that could tell if they were sitting or moving around.”

The Levine study found the non-obese group were moving around for two hours a day more than their obese counterparts, burning 300-350 calories as they did so. The upshot is this: when you lose the remote in the dark crevices of your sofa yet again, walking across the room to change channels really is part of your health and fitness regime. It’s time to embrace your inner domestic athlete.

A guide to maximising your non-exercise fitness routine

Alphabetise your bookshelves

A hardcover book can weigh over a kilogram. Rearranging your bookshelves is a weight-training session without the need to pass through the doors of a gym.

If we imagine your substantial coffee-table volumes as your big lifts and those fragile Penguin Classics as your lighter weights, you could warm up with the paperbacks and build to the heavier volumes. Weight training is carried out in sets and repetitions so if you consider taking a book from one slot and carrying it to another to be a “rep” then you could set yourself the goal of 10 books moved to a new spot at a time.

When it comes to the David Hockney coffee-table slab, sets of three is probably more appropriate. Building muscle is an efficient way to burn calories because the body continues to use energy even after you have stopped lifting.

Vacuum neglected areas

Behind that mid-century cabinet, underneath that exotic rug, lies the dust a conventional cleaning operation dare not touch. A fearless attack, bringing to bear the full might of your Dyson on the dirt that lurks undisturbed, could be a true calorie bonfire.

This task involves moving around the home, carrying your weapon (vacuum cleaner), lifting and moving objects to expose the enemy (dust). Here, continuous movement is your friend. Set a timer on your phone and use the AMRAP protocol (As Many Reps As Possible). This means you lift as many rugs and shift as many chairs and tables as you can within, say, a two-minute period. Between these sets take a 30-second rest and go again. You will want to feel your heart rate rise and a little “glow” taking place during this one.

Furlough the wearables from your wardrobe

Every wardrobe contains items that once felt useful but are now just reminders of that awful wedding we all attended in the early 1990s. Remove the horrible coats and unspeakable shirts, bag them and take them to the charity shop. Each bag represents five lifts and folds.

A coat weighs 2kg – a very respectable weight. The awkwardness of the lift off the hangar will engage your core as well as your arms. Consciously keeping your core tight will make this even more effective. We suggest filling each bag without pause. Carrying the bag downstairs to the car and then from the car to the shop is a great weighted carry. The tricky shape of the bag only brings in more of the stabilising muscles.

Tip for increasing the burn: Throw the bags into the car from as far away as you can manage. A great abs workout.

Dance like you got straight A*s

Close the curtains, make sure no one will call and put on whatever made you fling yourself about back then. Spotify helpfully has playlists defined by year of release (the unexpected forgotten tracks are the most powerful). No ballads, this will need the likes of Chic and Duran Duran to fire up long-forgotten moves. Make sure all limbs are being used and go big (the curtains are drawn, right?). Duration is what we’ll use here. The 7-inch version of Good Times lasts 3 minutes 42 seconds – keep moving throughout, no swaying, feel the heart and lungs working.

Tip for increasing the burn: The bigger the steps you make when dancing, the more energy you use. Try a minute of very exaggerated leg moves.

Clean the (safely accessible) windows

Transform the bi-fold doors and feel your heart rate rise. The garden deserves to be seen clearly. This is a perfect aerobic workout if you clean those huge plates of glass as though they were about to be inspected by a very impatient and bad-tempered quality control manager. We suggest a cloth in both hands and large, vigorous motions. Hard-to-access low areas will work your glutes and thighs if you bend your legs and squat to reach them. Set one-minute rounds and 20-second rests and polish like your annual bonus depended on it.

Tip for increasing the burn: When squatting for the low areas, stop and hold for as long as possible. Feel the thighs aflame.

Bake bread (and deliver it by hand)

Everybody loves the smell of freshly baked bread but we’re here for the kneading. Kneading is a tough upper-body workout and, beautifully for our purposes, 11 minutes is a solid recommended kneading time. We say really give that dough hell and don’t let up for the entire period.

This activity will have the biceps, triceps, shoulders and hands all engaged and working. To avoid the temptation to gorge yourself on warm wholemeal, walk it round to someone else’s house, leave it with them, claim an urgent appointment and walk back. Brisk walking is one of the best forms of exercise available to you.

Pick wild fruit

There’s still a considerable harvest out there, much of it awkwardly placed either high or low – this is perfect for a calorie-burning and health-giving workout. Walk to the location at a pace that feels like you’re late for a flight and take a companion. Then your 11 minutes starts – the urge here is to take constant small rests, but we suggest increasing the intensity with a little picking competition. Set the timer and humiliate your partner or friend with the quantity of fruit you pick. The competition will take your mind off the work you are doing and the speed will turn this into a tight little session for your muscular endurance.

Tip for increasing the burn: Divide all the fruit into two bags for balance and do a few laps as a weighted walk before heading home.