Every good fitness plan should, of course, have some special time set aside for exercise. A set period, every day preferably, when you devote all your energies to doing cardio, yoga, weight training, or whatever else you like to do to get your heart pumping. This doesn’t mean, however, that you should eschew exercise time when you are out of the gym. It is important to remember that fitness isn’t something you do in the gym, it is a lifestyle. And one of the best ways to keep in line with the fit lifestyle is by increasing the amount of walking you get in every day. Low intensity cardio, like walking, can burn a surprisingly large number of calories over time, so if you integrate more walking into your everyday life, you can burn off fat without even feeling like you are trying to.
Here are some of the best ways to get more walking into your everyday life.
Wear a Pedometer -In 2007, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a report that showed evidence that people who wear a pedometer, which is just a small device that you can clip onto your waistband and counts your steps, tend to walk more than people who don’t. It really up to speculation why this is, though my best guess is that when you have a gizmo that tells you how much you are walking, you are just inclined to walk more. Pedometers are really cheap too, sometimes costing just a few bucks for the simple models. Of course, if you want to get really fancy, you can buy digital models that also estimates your distances walked and come with software that monitors your walking habits.
Park Further Away– When you go to the grocery store or anywhere else when you are out and about, there is really no reason to try and fight other shoppers for a spot up close. In fact, you would probably just be better off if you parked farther away, where the parking spots are probably a lot more plentiful. This way you can walk that extra distance from the mall or store back to your car. If you go to the store a few times during the week, this can add up to a lot of calories burned over time.
Spend Time at the Mall -If the weather doesn’t allow for outdoor strolls, you can just take walks in malls instead. By window-shopping with your friends, you are able to engage is an activity that is simultaneously social and physical, so you probably won’t even think about the exercise that you are getting. If you are worried about overspending during your trips to the mall, considering just carrying enough cash to have a healthy lunch and leaving your wallet in your car.
Ask Yourself If You Really Have to Drive– Sometimes we drive the car very short distances from our home just out of habit, even if it is just a block or two. The next time you have to pick some small item form a market or drugstore that’s near your home, use that as an opportunity to take a nice stroll.
每个好的健身计划当然都应该留一些特别的时间用于身体锻炼。留出来的时间,最好是每天,你将所有的能量用于有氧运动、瑜伽、举重,或任何其他你喜欢的运动,来使你加强心脏的供血功能。然而,这并不意味着你在健身房外就要避免锻炼。健身不是只能在健身房里做的事,而是一种生活方式,记住这一点很重要。拥有健康生活的其中一个最好方式,是增加每天的行走时间。象行走这类的低强度有氧运动,能消耗掉多至让你惊奇的卡路里量。因此如果你在日常生活中增加行走时间,你就能在不知不觉间消耗掉脂肪。
以下为日常生活增加行走的最好方法。
带上计步器。2007 年,美国医学协会杂志发表了一篇报道, 称带上只要别在腰带上就能计算步数的计步器后,就会比不带的人多走一些路。虽然对于这个原因我最好的猜测是,当你有一个告诉你走了多少的机器后,你会倾向于走得更多,不过这也要看大家怎么想。而且,计步器真的很便宜,有时简单款式只需几块钱。当然,如果你想拥有精美款式,你可以买数码款,那可以估算你走路的距离,然后用软件来监督你的行走习惯。
车停远一些。当去杂货店或外出到其他任何地方,你真的没有理由去试着跟其他顾客争夺近点的停车位。事实上,你停得稍远点可能会更好,那里的停车位很可能更充裕。这样,从商场或店铺到你的车子,你又可以走额外一段路程了。如果你一周去好几次商店,这种方式就能让你消耗掉很多的卡路里了。
花时间逛商场。如果天气不允许你在室外行走,那就可以换作逛商场。跟朋友逛商店,你进行的是一项交际与体能兼备的活动,你可能根本就不会想你是在进行身体锻炼。如果你担心逛商场会花太多的钱,你可以考虑将钱包留在车里,而只带足够吃一顿健康午餐的现金即可。
问问自己是否真需要开车出门。有时我们只是出于习惯,到离家很近,甚至是只隔一两条街的地方,都要开车出门。下次如果你要去附近的超市或药店买小件东西,给自己个机会来一次愉快的步行吧。