Mini Workouts

Exercise. This is the dirty little secret of every successful diet, lifestyle, & health regime. There's no getting around it. I know, I tried every way I could think of to avoid it, but it's a necessary step towards weight loss, health, and the elusive fountain of youth. So this page is for all of us who don't like exercise, find it boring, can't fit it into our schedules - whatever your excuse, hopefully you'll find a suggestion here that will help you overcome the hurdle(s).

This Week's Step

Your goal  this week is to get moving for 20-30 minutes EVERY DAY - that's 7 DAYS A WEEK including Sundays.

Easing Into It

When you're first stepping into The UnDiet, depending on your former lifestyle and eating habits you might be overwhelmed with the process of giving up favorite foods, experimenting with substitutes that will give you the same eating experience, and generally feeling deprived and overwhelmed. Adding a Level 6 workout (we'll talk about this in a Step By Step issue further down the line) to all this may be too much. So - mini workouts to the rescue!

Mini Workouts

The successful UnDieter will incorporate three to six of these mini-workouts into their day. Even if you are doing your Level 6 workout these mini-workouts are great lifestyle enhancers. They burn calories, they get you into a position or place where you can't eat mindlessly, they enrich your life by getting you out and about with friends and family, they get you in a spot where you can slow down, focus, and think. As much as I hate to exercise I often find myself looking forward to these mini-workouts as a break/treat in my day. If I'm working out alone I enjoy the time to think, listen to music, or watch a video. If I'm working out with a friend or family member I look forward to the time I'm spending with them. All-in-all these mini-workouts are a can't miss lifestyle enhancer that will steadily move you towards your weight and health goals.

Before The UnDiet: you drive your kids to school or to a friends house. You've got the radio going. You're in the front seat. They're in the back. They've got a few toys to hold their attention and keep them from distracting you from driving. You drop them off.

Now switch to a Mini-Workout: you walk with them to school, or a friend's house. You talk with them, you sing songs, you answer questions, you notice what's happening around you ... you connect with them. Use a stroller or wagon for younger kids or to carry packages as you do errands. Kick it up a notch (as Emerill would say) by walking as fast as you can (power walking) after dropping the kids off.

Before the UnDiet: get in your car. Meet a friend(s) in front of the theater. See the movie. Go out for a drink or dinner.

Now switch to a Mini-Workout: powerwalk to meet your friend(s). Take off on a powerwalk together. Talk about what's going on in your lives, what you're thinking about, your dreams and aspirations ... or maybe you don't talk, you just enjoy the environment. Maybe you walk to a movie theater, or the grocery store (use a backpack or wagon for groceries and errands). You've found a new friend or reinforced an old friendship, you've burned a bunch of calories, you've avoided the often unnecessary trap of drinks and/or dinner out, YOU FEEL GREAT!

The above two Mini-Workouts can be slotted into your day and week fairly easily. Peruse the Mini-Workouts below and highlight the ones that are do-able for you, then start doing them. When you click on the link at the bottom of the page you'll go to a Mini-Workout Chart which you can print out and use to keep track of and motivate you towards Mini-Workouts.

  1. Whenever you're doing a mundane chore that doesn't require a steady hand like filling ice cube trays with water, washing dishes, unloading the dishwasher, folding laundry, watering the garden ... run/walk in place as fast as you can and still perform the chore. If you do this several times a day for 2-10 minutes per session you're burning calories and keeping your metabolism revved up! I do this mini-workout to get warmed up before and cooled down after jogging or strength training. You've got to get warmed up to help prevent strained muscles and doing chores while warming up and then down gives me 10-20 extra minutes in my day.
  2. Do chores like sweeping, mopping, window washing, dusting (be careful of knickknacks, etc.), washing the car or vacuuming as fast as you can. You'll burn calories and have more time in your day.
  3. Instead of e-mailing your office-mates, hand deliver your messages. If you deliver messages just 5 minutes of every work hour, in ten years you'll have burned off 19 pounds!
  4. Mow the lawn yourself. You'll burn around 170 calories for every half hour behind the lawnmower. I don't have the time to attend to all the yard work so I arranged with my gardener that I'll do the mowing and he'll do all the rest. It's particularly motivating when I know that he'll notice if I don't mow and then he'll charge me extra to do it himself!
  5. Carry a walking stick while hiking and you'll burn up to 25% more calories as well as take pressure off your feet and knees.
  6. Walk your children to school or their friend's home, then power walk home.
  7. Volunteer to pass out your neighborhood newsletter, then do it as fast as you can on foot.
  8. Power walk, skate or bike as often as possible. Make use of backpacks, wagons, strollers and bicycle baskets to get errands done.
  9. I make plans ahead when I can or spontaneously when I find myself with a free morning, afternoon or evening, to power walk or bicycle with a friend in one of our neighborhoods. A power walk is simply walking as fast as you possibly can, and if you sustain that speed for at least twenty minutes you've done your Level 6 workout.
  10. Do the same as above but go to a pretty place: a neighborhood with great houses, a neighborhood you're considering moving to, a park  ... Don't let bad weather spoil your plans, head for the local mall an hour before they open the stores. Plan to have decaf coffee or tea afterwards. Yea! I've just made something I hate to do fun! I can never resist a chance to get together with a good friend, so I know I won't cancel these exercise plans.
  11. Join a gym with a friend, or better yet two or more friends, so if one friend bales out you have a back up. Make plans to meet regularly for classes, a swim, or just to work out on the equipment.
  12. Whenever I go up or down the stairs in my house I try to run up and down several times. Come on! What's two minutes out of your day?
  13. Put away the board games, turn off the TV and get outside with your kids:
  14. Check out a new sport. Do it alone, take a class, hire a trainer or make a date with a friend who plays or wants to learn also.
  15. Take up canoeing. It's a great upper body builder, especially when you take all day or weekend trips.
  16. Go on a half-day, all-day, or weekend hike.
  17. Take the bicycle out for a half-day, all-day, or weekend trip.
  18. Ignore elevators and take the stairs as fast as you safely can considering the shoes you're wearing and anything you're carrying.
  19. Always walk when using escalators.
  20. Use a mini-trampoline and run/jump in place while watching a favorite TV program or movie.
  21. Jump rope while watching TV or a movie, or while watching your kids play outside. Jumping rope burns around 300 calories per half hour.
  22. Park at the far end of the parking lot or the top level of the parking structure and power walk to your destination.
  23. Get up 15-30 minutes early to follow a video or TV workout.

Allright. That ought'a get you started! If you have any ideas to add to this list send me an e-mail and your suggestion will be posted at a later date.

$$$avers

Serve dinner already divvied up on plates in smaller portions than you think everybody will really eat, except for the salad, make that portion larger than you think they'll eat. If anybody wants more they can certainly have it, but this way you won't have wasted food and your family will eat more salad.

Tips & Tricks

Measure the length of each leg. Even a two-centimeter difference between them could lead to knee pain and even arthritis. If you find your legs are uneven ask a podiatrist about heel lifts. Don't put this off or you'll end up using it as a reason not to start exercising. DO IT NOW.

Step-By-Step

  1. Print out the Mini-Workout Chart.
  2. Take a look at a typical week and make note of where you can add 2-6 mini-workouts to each day, keeping in mind that your goal is to get moving for at least 30 minutes daily.
  3. Take a moment each day to fill in your Mini-Workout Chart. You may do this in pencil at the beginning of the day to remind yourself where and when you plan to workout, then in pen to confirm where and when you actually did workout.
  4. Once the Mini-Workout has become a part of your UnDiet day move onto the next Step, Setting Up Your UnDiet Kitchen.

Receive Free Weight Loss Articles

Receive articles like this one FREE each week for one month. All you need to do is give us the e-mail address you'd like your FREE Steps sent to. It's that easy. | I would like more info about the Step By Step Program | Hey, it's FREE, just send it to me!

Mini-Workout Chart

UNDIET TOOLS Home | Vegetarian Recipes | Living Food Recipes | Questions | Links | UnDiet Toolbox | Fast Food Card
FOOD ON LINE Indian Harvest | Kalyx Foods | Coupon Clearinghouse | Peapod | SeafoodS.com
RESOURCES Amazon.com | Fogdog Sports | Sport Chalet | Oshmans
FITNESS BallyFitness | 4 Minute Fitness | Total Gym
FREE STUFF UnDiet Toolbox

This site was created by Out Of Your Mind Graphic & Web Design a division of K.C.O. Marketing Services
undiet@kco1.net
last revised October 24, 2008
Copyright Kathleane C. O'Leary 1997-2008 all rights reserved
Void where prohibited. Keep hands and feet inside the vehicle at all times.