5 ways to get fit if you hate exercise

Hitting the gym isn't the only way to get a workout. These are some simple ways to get more active everyday – and you don't need any fancy kit.

By Suzanne Baum, Prima

Whether it's because you're lacking the time, energy or inclination, sometimes the thought of going to the gym or taking up a new sport just doesn't appeal. And it seems you're not alone with a more than 20 million Britons 'physically inactive' according to a recent report by the British Heart Foundation.
         
But if it's because the thought of going to a gym makes you break out in hives and slump back on the sofa, we've got good news for you. There are plenty of ways you can get active every day to make you feel better, tone up and burn calories.

1.

Dust away the cobwebs – with some housework…
 

You might not get excited at the thought of doing household chores, but research has proven that dusting, vacuuming and mopping are as good for you as any session at the gym – provided of course you put a lot of effort into it!

          

So if you don't have time to lift weights at the gym, then substitute them with everyday household tasks or even a spot of strenuous gardening. 

Evidence has shown that vigorous cleaning can burn up to 315 calories an hour – plan your housework so that you have to run up and down the stairs. After all the hard work reward yourself with a lie down on your freshly laundered sheets and relish in the fact you have a clean house and mind. 

                   

A study by UK cleaning company StarBrands has revealed that those tiresome housework chores could help get rid of your muffin top. Even making the bed can shift 70 calories, which ordinarily you'd have to burn through doing 20 minutes of Pilates.

2.

Ditch the car – and get walking 

Challenge yourself to walk up to 10,000 steps a day – roughly equivalent to around five miles. If seeing just how far you've walked will help, try a pedometer to track steps or us an app like MapMyRun to work out how far you've walked. By the time I have done my school run and walked the dog I have hit 5,000 steps with hardly any effort. Follow the advice from personal trainer and body sculptor at CS Fit Claudine Stone and you can use your daily routine to add in a full-body workout.
           
'School runs… how often do we sit in traffic and watch pedestrians walking faster than us?  Ditch the car, grab the dog, give the kids their scooters and you can give yourself a workout: walk and watch the kids scoot ahead, then sprint to catch up with them and repeat!  The dog's been walked and you're now burning fat for most of the day!
                       
'Instead of driving to the shops try walking,' adds Claudine.  'There are many things you can use on your journey to incorporate exercise:  Try using park benches for squats and push ups, then on the return journey, try and load your shopping bags equally so as to use them as weights for bicep curls and lateral raises.  That's nearly a full body workout!'

3.
Get dancing

The key to burning calories is to move your whole body, so embrace the music and dance! Make the most of your nights on the dance floor or kitchen disco and let your inner dancing diva out to play. Dance is an excellent form of aerobic conditioning and so enjoyable you won't even consider it exercise. The number of calories burned depends on your weight, the length of time you dance and how intense the workout is so don't hold back.
              
Experts say that dancing can also improve psychological wellbeing. A 30-minute street, swing or contemporary dance class could be more beneficial to your waistline than enduring that time in the gym.
             
Dr Nick Smeeton, from the University of Brighton, said: 'Dance not only appears to increase positive and reduce negative emotions, which are typical effects of exercise, but we also found that dancing actually reduced feelings of fatigue too.'

4.

Drink more water and green tea! 

Ditch the unwanted calories in alcohol and reach for some green tea or water instead and you will benefit hugely in so many ways! When you drink cold water, your body uses extra calories to warm the water up to body temperature…so you are losing weight without even trying! What's more, as well as filling you up it can be great for hydrating your skin and getting rid of toxic waste.
                   
A study by a team of scientists at Anglia Ruskin University revealed when combined with exercise, green tea does help shed fat-provided you drink AT LEAST seven cups of it…


5.
Sex it up! 

Experts estimate 30 minutes of sex burns 85 to 150 calories and those calories could add up if you are having sex often enough. Theoretically, you need to burn about 3,500 calories to lose a pound of body weight, so if you were using up 100 calories every time you had sex, you could lose one pound if you had sex 35 times. 

Sounds baffling but who cares – it's a fun way to slowly drop some weight and as a bonus sex also helps you sleep, which is a lot better aid to weight loss than late-night snacking! 

According to a stud by researchers at the University of Quebec in Canada, women burn about 3.1 calories per minute while men burn 4.2 calories every minute when they have sex. So in a session lasting 30 minutes, men can burn about 100 calories. This is similar to a moderate intensity workout such as playing tennis or cycling. But it is definitely more pleasurable than running on the treadmill! 

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