Day 18: Burn More Calories With Micro-Exercise | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon

Welcome to Day 18 of the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon.

All tasks in the 30-Day Weight Loss-athon are adapted from my 52 Weight Loss Missions program.

Read the steps first, then take 10 minutes to think about them and take action. Ready?

What You Need:

  • A willingness to move it, move it.

Step 1

Doing your weekly 30 x 3 exercise sessions from Day 5 is great – it raises your heart rate, gets you sweating, and can burn lots of calories.

But there are many ways you can get micro-exercise into your day, too. Some people call it incidental exercise. I like to think of it as lifestyle exercise – something that becomes part of your lifestyle.

Each nugget of micro-exercise can seem tiny – and it’s good to think that way, so you’ll feel inclined to do one every chance you get.

But the benefits aren’t so tiny. Not only do the weight-loss calories add up, but by taking opportunities to move, you form a habit of moving.

So as a first step, open your mind to the ways you can add micro-exercise to your life. They don’t take a lot of effort, but they can add up to a lot of calories, taken together and over time.

Step 2

Next, let’s consider the myriad ways you can add micro-exercise to your daily life. Here are some:

  • Take stairs rather than escalators or elevators (There are so stairs in your building – find them!)
  • Don’t use remotes – get up and press the buttons
  • Go talk to your colleagues rather than emailing them (bonus: you may save time on back-and-forth emails)
  • Walk to work
  • Walk the kids to school
  • Wherever you go, move a little faster and more energetically
  • Get off the train or bus one stop earlier and walk
  • Park farther away (from the restaurant, shops, appointment) so you have to walk (bonus: parking may be easier at a distance)
  • If at a dinner party, help to carry dishes to and from the table
  • Put a bike or treadmill in front of the TV and move while you watch
  • Do sit-ups or push-ups during ad breaks
  • If you tend to have inactive weekends, make a project of doing chores, repairs or other household tasks
  • Walk, cycle or run to the library, to pick up the kids, do errands, etc.
  • Walk around the house while on the phone
  • Play a game outside with the kids
  • Take the (neighbor’s) dog for a walk
  • Stop asking the kids/your spouse/your PA to pass you things, get something from over there, pick you up a coffee or go out to get your lunch – it’s annoying to them, and it denies you the chance to burn calories
  • Put more energy into the housework – vacuum, hang laundry or dust with vigor
  • Put more energy into the yard work – I don’t really know what goes on out there, but do it with a good posture and sense of speedy purpose
  • Put more energy into your, um, love life – do it more often or with more sprightliness
  • Wash the car faster and more energetically
  • Do some gardening – the kind where you have to cart stuff around, dig holes, squat, wheel wheelbarrows and such; pruning bonsai doesn’t count
  • Switch from passive to active family time – instead of watching movies or playing computer games, go for a bushwalk, play in the park, ride bikes together, or play fitness-based console games.

Hint: Use a pedometer for extra motivation.

There’s something about tracking anything that makes you want to do better at it. Using a pedometer can help motivate you to take extra steps throughout your day. So if you’re looking for incentive to move more in your daily life, it’s worth a try.

Step 3

Choose at least three forms of micro-exercise, from my list or add your own, that you’ll commit to doing as a new habit.

What will you do for your micro-exercise?

Check in!

And you’re done!

Be sure to leave your comment below to check in and stay accountable. If you’re reading this by email or in a reader then please click here to leave your comment.

See you tomorrow!

Michele Connolly

Michele Connolly helps people move from procrastination to action. She believes that taking action on your priorities makes you a happier person. Michele is the founder of Get Organized Wizard and creator of tools for business, home, and personal organization. Her programs are used by tens of thousands of people worldwide.

83 thoughts on “Day 18: Burn More Calories With Micro-Exercise | 30-Day Weight Loss-athon

  1. Lara Jane says:

    Michele, This list is just amazing. Wow, Thanks for sharing it love 🙂 your style of writing is also good.

  2. Howtoloseweightpre says:

    I used to think that calories burning is the old method,but after reading your article,I will definitely start burning calories because they helps a lot in weight loss.I have never read such an amazing article before this one.

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