When talking about fitness and being healthy, exercise may come to mind as a primary way to achieve these goals.
But what you may not know is that there are multiple ways in which you can shed extra calories, boost your healthy weight and get fit without having to sign up for gyms or rigorous exercise.
Exercise isn't everything
There are a lot of things you do in your normal daily routine that can provide "shots" of physical activity, such as using the stairs instead of the elevator, which can help you lose some calories, stimulate sweating and increase your heart rate.
A 2018 study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that no form of physical activity during the day has as direct an impact on your health as exercise.
In other words, you can get "focused bouts" of high physical activity during the day (such as jogging to catch the bus) which can give you an important health advantage.
It is true that this occasional exercise is not a "sport" in the traditional sense, but a form of physical activity necessary for good health.
Below we review some healthy patterns that you can follow in your usual daily routine in order to enhance your fitness and health, without having to exercise and visit the expensive gyms.
Choose the hardest way to reach your destination
If you have some extra time, you can always walk to your destination instead of driving or taking the bus.
And even if you have to to save time, you can always get far enough and choose to take a few extra steps to work or home, so you can feel the burn and sweat during your busy day.
Also, choose the stairs instead of the elevator or escalators.
Small changes like these can help you maintain your fitness and heart rate without taking the time to exercise.
According to the American Council on Exercise for stair climbing, a person weighing approximately 60 kilograms can burn about 235 calories when climbing the stairs for only half an hour during the day.
Climbing stairs for just half an hour during the day burns about 235 calories (Shutterstock)
Choose cart instead of cart
By avoiding conveniences like home delivery and shopping carts, you can add tacit exercises to boost your fitness without having to work out in specialized gyms into your weekly routine.
Every time you choose conveniences when shopping, for example, you lose out on an activity that you could have done on your own.
So when you have the time, do it yourself, and try to find the time for it, even if it's only for a few minutes.
Even loading and unloading weekly groceries and groceries in the car can be a calorie-burning workout, as it provides a bit of a strengthening workout for your arms, back, and legs.
Adjusting the sitting position and not exceeding the time
Standing straight is actually hard work that not many people can handle.
According to the website "The Healthy" for health and fitness, maintaining good posture while standing, sitting and walking requires you to engage and tighten multiple muscles, to the point that most people cannot maintain that correct posture for one minute.
So practice standing and sitting straight upright, with the core pulled forward and the shoulders pulled back and down.
Sitting for more than 30 minutes at a time should also be avoided.
Just getting up and moving around a little every 30 minutes can get your blood pumping and increase your body's activity level.
So get up and walk around or do some stretching, especially if your work is in the office and requires a lot of sitting.
You can even do some jumping exercises or going up and down stairs in your building to get your heart pumping and your muscles to work.
Moisturize the body and drink water
Water affects your energy levels, providing you with proper hydration to adjust your body temperature and boost your heart rate.
So it is necessary to ask yourself before you start thinking about your fitness: Do you drink at least 8 glasses of water a day?
In fact, about 60% of the human body is made up of water, so replenishing the water content in your body is essential to flush out toxins and improve your skin and the quality of your internal organs.
Drinking more water also helps increase your energy levels and promotes weight loss, helping you stave off excessive snacking.
This, in turn, will reduce the levels of sugar and sodium in your diet, according to Livestrong Public Health.
Drinking more water helps increase energy levels and promotes weight loss (Shutterstock)
Eat a balanced diet
“You are what you eat” so it is important to know everything your body is consuming.
Eliminating fast food in your diet can make a big difference, since it's usually high in saturated fat and sodium, which can lead to obesity and an increased risk of heart disease.
Instead, set healthy goals such as eating fruits and vegetables daily, or avoiding processed, sugary and starchy foods.
Rest and good sleep
Finally, it is necessary to get 7 to 8 hours of deep sleep every night, and work to control anxiety and stress levels in your daily routine.
Taking into account the practice of meditation and relaxation exercises periodically to promote the secretion of hormones that help recovery, and even reduce the risk of disease.