Boost your Physical Activity with Incidental Exercise

a women doing yoga
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Want to boost your daily activity? Ever heard about Incidental exercise? People are constantly struggling with making exercise a part of their daily routine. In your hectic schedule, it can be really challenging to be consistent with your exercise.

Most people break their new year resolution as they are not able to keep up with the exercise routine. So, how can you boost your activity level and break your lethargic routine? Incidental exercise is a great way to enhance your metabolism and activity level. But does it actually work?

If you are struggling with keeping up with your exercise routine, then incidental exercise can be a game changer for you. In this blog, we are going to discuss everything about incidental exercise and if it’s actually helpful for you or not. So, let’s dive in!

What is Incidental exercise?

Incidental exercise is any physical activity that you usually do in your daily routine, and it also helps in burning some calories. These are not your regular planned exercise sessions, but they are the tasks that you perform in your day-to-day life. These activities can be as simple as taking your dog for a walk or taking stairs instead of an elevator.

These activities may seem small but can really help in increasing your overall physical activity and metabolism. These small activities can add up and make significant differences in your overall health.

Daily activities for incidental exercise

There are many routine tasks that can increase your daily step count and physical activity. These are some of the activities that you must include in your daily routine to take benefits of incidental activities:

Opt for stairs

a person climbing stairs
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Walking up stairs can really help in burning calories, and it’s more intense than walking on the ground. Even in the office or going to your own apartment. Try ditching the elevator and opting for stairs. Climbing up the stairs can be a great way to pump your cardiovascular system. Initially, it can be a little hard, but over time, you will notice a change in your stamina.

Park your car a little further

People usually park their cars as close as possible to the grocery store or their apartment. However, if you start parking, you can go a little further or to the corner of the parking lot. This will increase your step count, and these small things can help a lot.

Take your dog out for a walk

If you have a pet, this can really help you enhance your physical activity. Taking your dog out for a walk is a great way to include incidental activity in your daily routine. Moreover, if you start taking your dog out for a walk in the morning and evening, this can be great to increase your daily incidental exercise.

Walk and talk

a man talking on phone
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If you are someone who spends a lot of time attending calls. Then you should definitely start walking as you are talking on the phone. This way, you will complete your daily steps without even realising or putting any extra effort into it. You can easily turn a 10-minute conversation on the phone into a good walking session.

Turn your household work into a workout session

You can turn your boring household work into an interesting workout. Just put on your favourite track while doing household chores and turn it into a workout session. You can be doing vacuum and cardio at the same time. This will make this simple task so much more fun.

Advantages of incidental exercise

Incidental exercise simply means adding physical activity into your daily routine by doing everyday tasks such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator or walking to work. Incidental exercise has various benefits, and the best part is that you won’t even realise that you are working out. Moreover, these are so easy to incorporate into your lifestyle. This type of exercise has several benefits, such as:

Improving your physical fitness by strengthening your cardiovascular system, increasing muscle strength and endurance, and enhancing overall fitness levels. Incidental exercise can also help with weight management by burning calories and preventing weight gain. 

pink dumbells
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Additionally, it has mental health benefits, as it can reduce stress and anxiety, improve your mood, and enhance cognitive function. It’s convenient, too, because it doesn’t require special equipment or a gym membership, unlike structured exercise routines. Regular incidental exercise can also boost energy levels and reduce fatigue, leading to greater productivity and a higher quality of life.

Overall, incorporating incidental exercise into your daily routine is a simple and effective way to increase physical activity levels and improve your overall health.

Can incidental exercise replace structured exercise?

No, incidental exercise cannot replace a structured workout session. it s better to incorporate both incidental and structured exercise in your daily routine to get the most out of your workout. Moreover, it’s easier to keep up with incidental exercises as they will become a part of your daily routine.

If you want to achieve a healthy lifestyle, you must have a balance of both structured and incidental exercise. Doing incidental exercises will also help in making up for your missed gym session. This will also help you maintain the results that you have achieved during your planned, structured exercise session.

The Bottom Line

Incidental exercise can be your first step towards a balanced lifestyle and wellness. You will see a significant difference in your health and stamina. After incorporating incidental exercise into your routine, you will burn extra calories without even putting in any extra effort. This is a great way to be consistent with your exercise despite your hectic schedule.

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