It's starting to get really cold out there. My New England self envies any of you living in warmer climates right now. Being more of a gym person than an outdoor workout type, my only real exposure to the elements fortunately lasts for the forty-three seconds it takes to walk from my car to the gym entrance. But, there will soon be days when the roads are not plowed, the gym is closed, and taking my routine outside is just plain crazy. It's good to know that even on such crummy days as those I just described, there are ways to burn some calories without ever leaving the house.
Here are five simple ways to burn at least 100 calories:
Dance like nobody is watching for 15 minutes. Pop in that album (you know which one -- the one that you keep hidden from the rest of your album collection because you don't want people to know that you actually own it) and dance around your living room like it's your last day on earth. The good news is that you probably have many, many more days ahead of you, and that you just burned 112 calories.
Jump rope for 10 minutes. If you own a home, this shouldn't be much of a problem. But, if you rent an apartment and it happens to be on an upper level, the people living below you may hate you. Oh well, you can't please everyone. Such are the sacrifices we make for burning 115 calories.
Mop the floors for 30 minutes. Decidedly less fun than the past two options, mopping the floor is nonetheless a more physical activity than it may seem. Proof of this is the fact that you will burn 121 calories.
Walk up and down your stairs for 30 minutes. Halfway through this exercise, you'll probably wish you had chosen to mop the floor. After a solid half an hour on the stairs, you will have burned 190 calories.
Play with your dog for 30 minutes. Aaah, now this one sounds fun. If you're snowed in, that dog of yours is likely feeling just as much cabin fever as you. The opportunity to run around, chew on its favorite toy, and play fetch (albeit, a rather confined version of the game) will not only bring your canine friend a great deal of joy, but it will also help you burn 100 calories.