By Julie Elaine Brown, M. A.

Finding the time to work out—for those of us who enjoy exercising—can feel like a luxury.

And for those of us who dislike exercising, it’s nearly impossible to find the time. Why would we spend a precious half hour here or there sweating on the Stairmaster when we could take a nap, read a book, or watch a movie?

That’s where “Hidden Fitness” comes into play. Each day, you have opportunities to get a little exercise in. These suggestions are often so subtle you’ll barely notice you’re exercising…until you start feeling (and looking) better!

Keep in mind that before you start any fitness regimen (even a hidden one), check with your doctor to make sure he or she can give you the green light!

Ten Top Hidden Fitness Tricks

1.Take the Stairs

We’ve all heard this one before—but it really works, so it is worth mentioning again. Believe it or not, walking up 2 flights of stairs (approximately 3-5 minutes) can burn as many as 50 calories for someone who weighs 150lbs.

Plus, walking up the stairs firms your thighs, slims your hips, and tones your calves and buttocks. Keep your back straight with your neck and head aligned and your abdominals pulled in (be sure to breathe). Doing all this will help strengthen your abdominals and your lower back.

Walking down the stairs is a great inner and outer thigh toner, and helps develop good balance and posture.

Each time you have the opportunity, take the stairs instead of the elevator. It may take you a bit longer to arrive at your destination, but you’re getting in a workout! 

2. Take Advantage of Commercials

As a fitness professional, I’ve been told by my students that my “commercial rule” is one of the most helpful tips I gave! My commercial rule is simple: Do some kind of exercise during TV commercials. The average 30-minute show has at least two breaks for commercials. Each break may last three minutes. That’s 6 minutes of prime exercise time during one show.

Many people find that exercising in front of the TV is such a wonderful distraction, they continue past the commercials and actually exercise throughout their favorite shows!

Just be careful to pay attention to your movements, and to not lift too high or rotate your body side-to-side while watching TV. Some people may find it easier to practice movements in front of a mirror—and then perform the learned movements during their favorite TV shows (and/or commercials!)

See below for some exercises that work great during commercials.

3. Park Far Away

Another simple trick for getting in some exercise each day is to park far from the entrance of any place you drive to. Two important things to remember are:

• Only do this in safe places and/or not at night!
• If your loved one is with you, keep in mind his or her mobility or health concerns before parking far away.

An extra 50 yards or so each way can really add up throughout your day. Parking a few rows back at the office parking lot, the grocery store, the local pharmacy, and even the post office can make a huge difference. Better still: if you have a few bags from a store (not too heavy, of course), you can carry it all the way back to your car. Now you’re getting in some weight training as well as cardiovascular exercise!

4. Stretch at your Desk

Stretching is exercise too. Stretching promotes flexibility which can help us perform daily activities with less risk of injury. Many caregivers lift their loved ones several times a day, or help their loved ones up and down stairs. Stretching can help keep our muscles toned and limber.

At work, stretching helps us take much-needed breaks every hour or so, and it also helps prevent stiffness in our upper backs, lower backs, and shoulders.

Try a few shoulder raises (raise your shoulders up towards your ears, hold for a few seconds, then slowly release); shoulder rolls (lift your shoulders up, then in a small circular motion forward, and slowly back, then reverse so that you lift up, then back, then towards the front); arm stretches (cross one arm in front of your chest and use your other arm to hold near the elbow, hold, then do the same for the other arm).

Other good chair stretches include clasping your hands together with your palms facing your face, then stretching your arms as far as you can forward (keep the shoulders low!). Now, reverse your hands so that your palms face away from your body. You can perform a similar movement with your arms raised directly above your head.

You can also flex and point your feet while working (hold your leg out straight, keep your abdominals tight and your back straight, and lift your toes up so that your foot is flat. Now point your toes. Repeat several times, and then switch legs).

Try these chair exercises while waiting at the doctor’s office or at the pharmacy. You may get a few strange looks…but you might start a trend!

5. Stand & Squeeze

Washing the dishes or stirring pasta in the pot both provide excellent opportunities to perform for what I call “the butt squeeze.” While standing in front of the sink or stove, contract all those muscles in your butt, squeeze them, now squeeze some more, and hold for as long as you can. Repeat that process. You can even do this move while chatting on the phone. I recommend doing this in the privacy of your own home, although my trained fitness eye has seen the butt-squeeze in action at the movie theater line and waiting for the subway. If you’re modest, however, do your butt-squeezing in private.

6. Lunge Around

Why walk when you can lunge? Lunging strengthens your thighs, butt, hips, abdominals, and back. The key to a good lunge is to slowly lift one knee up towards your chest, kick the foot and leg out, slowly lower your leg down into a bent position, and remain like this for a few seconds. Make sure your knees are parallel with your ankles and that the pressure is in your thighs and legs—not on the knee. Now, slowly lift up and raise the other leg to walk forward. Variations of lunges may be seen on the ACE Fitness Website.

Lunging is a fantastic around-the-house activity. As few as 5 lunges per leg each day can make a difference in your strength and tone of each leg, your hips, and your buttocks. So the next time you need to bring some tea into the living room for your loved one, take the ultimate challenge and balance the tea in your hand, and walk-lunge from the kitchen into the other room.

7. Walk Quickly

Walking quickly burns more calories than meandering, and it also helps you to work your arms (a pumping motion helps you gain spend). Walking is one of the best forms of exercise, because it is low-impact (meaning you are not putting additional stress on your joints), but it is also weight-bearing (which helps prevent bone loss, and actually helps develop bone matter).

The next time you take a walk around the block, take it seriously, and really put some effort and energy into it. You should feel your heart rate increasing, and you might develop a bit of sweat.

8. Clean the House

Cleaning the bathroom for an hour for someone 150lbs burns almost 250 calories! Taking care of a child (feeding and dressing) burns nearly that amount, and vacuuming or pushing a manual lawnmower burns up to 300 calories an hour. Housework not only makes your home look great, but helps you stay healthy and fit. What could be better?

9. Buy an Exercise Mat

Buying a durable exercise mat at your local pharmacy may be one of the greatest investments for your health! Having a simple exercise mat nearby will encourage you to do simple stretching or floor-based exercises throughout the day. 

Exercise mats come in handy for TV-commercial exercising, Pilates, yoga, and meditation. You can also use a mat to just stretch out a few times each day, with your arms overhead and your legs fully extended. This kind of full-body stretch can reduce your stress and help you focus.

10. Work Your Abs in the Car

Many of us spend a great deal of time each day in our cars, or on public transportation. Take advantage of all that time spent sitting by working your abdominal muscles. Pulling in your abdominal muscles towards your back and sitting with a straight posture can strengthen your abs and your back.

Pulling in the muscles, counting to ten seconds, then slowly releasing, then repeating is a simple exercise that doesn’t take much concentration (so you can still drive)! Remember to keep breathing! Holding your breath defeats the purposes—since your muscles need oxygen to perform. 

If you take public transportation, standing up instead of sitting will help work your abdominals (if you keep them pulled in and strong).

Exercises that Work During TV Shows & Commercials

1. Cat-Camel (Great for the back!)

   Go slow with this exercise, and be sure to stop immediately if you feel pain. A bit of pressure is OK—it means you are working the muscle. Take deep breaths while you perform this move.

2. Back Extension

   Be sure to lift only until you feel pressure. If you feel pain, STOP! Lift slowly, and pay attention to how your body is responding. Keep your abdominals tight but continue to breathe.

3. Inner Thigh Lifts

   Go slow, and raise your legs only as far as you feel some pressure, but no pain. Don’t swing your leg or use momentum. Use your muscles. Make sure to breathe!

4. Outer Thigh Lifts

   Same as above but go really slow and pay attention to each movement.

5. Single Knee to Chest

   Keep your abdominals strong and lift with your large leg muscles—not your back!

6. Squats

   Pay attention to how far back you go. A trick is to put all your weight in your heels. Be careful not to extend your knees over your feet, and keep your feet at hip-width.

7. Heel Raise

   You can do it! In no time at all, you’ll look forward to hidden fitness!