Lazy Girl's Workout

Since turning 30, I have learned a horrible secret.  When you get older, a moment on the lips can actually mean a lifetime on the hips.  Biology is no joke, my metabolism basically shut off when I turned 30.  It sucks. 

I've never really been one to formally workout.  I have never had a gym membership.  I hate the idea of spending money on fitness and I prefer to spend time with friends and family rather than in the gym.  This doesn't mean I never work out.  I go to community ed yoga/pilates classes and during the warmer months I love nothing more than long walks and hikes with my cutie Kirby.  Let's look at a picture of the sweetheart. 

He makes my world better.  Okay, so back to being lazy and working out.  Like I said I don't really like working out, but now that my metabolism has crapped out I have to fit in burning calories somehow.  Here's some simple little things that I do to try and burn more calories throughout my day:

1.  Standing as much as possible.  This is kind of a new thing for me, but I actually have been enjoying the rewards of it.  Have you heard of standing desks?  Well, I have and would like one at my desk, but due to the cost it's currently out of the question.  Which is a bummer, but I have taken to doing some of my daily tasks while standing.  I have researched and found lots of different information as to exactly how many calories an hour standing will burn, but the average is 100.  Sitting is around 70 calories per hour.  So, just that little bit will burn you an extra 30 calories per hour. 
2.  Short walks.  When my mom and I were last in Disneyworld, she wore an odometer, or whatever those things are called that count your steps.  We were walking an average of 13,000 steps per day.  And we were eating crap.  And I lost weight.  So, steps matter.  I try to find little tasks at work that will take me on a walk.  For instance, whenever I have mail I always take it to the furthest mail bin that I can find to get a little walk in.  I also pace, which could be it's own separate category.  Sometimes when I am thinking, I like to pace and lately I've been doing it for the calories burned benefit as well.  It's a nervous habit, but stressed out people are usually thin.
3.  Staying on my feet after work.  Sometimes when I get home from work it's really easy to just sit on the couch and watch TV until Mike gets home.  Lately, I have been avoiding this bad habit and staying on my feet until at least after we are done with dinner.  My routine is to feed the dog, take him outside on a short walk to go to the bathroom, then start dinner and do any little chores that need to be completed.  When Mike gets home we eat and then, weather permitting, take Kirby on a long evening walk.  Again, it sounds really dumb, but I have found on those days when I fall into the TV trap, my waistline feels it.
4.  Weigh-in every morning.  I weigh myself every morning.  EVERY MORNING!  I like to know exactly what food does to my poundage.  I think this is a good way to figure out what you can eat during the day.  For instance if I have gained a pound from the day before, I know to cut back on my snacking throughout the day or increase a workout in order to get back to my base weight.
5.  Five-pound weights.  One of my problem areas is my arms and back.  I always gain more weight in these areas and right now I'm feeling majorly top heavy.  I try to do simple arm exercises every day with five-pound weights in order to tone up those key areas.  They are simple to do and you can do them while watching TV, which is a huge bonus for me.  With more toned arms, I feel better in sleeveless and summery clothes.  Planks also help, but you can't do those while watching The Real Housewives.

I'm always trying to find good cheats to working out.  My grandma was (and still is) tiny and she never had a gym membership, but she does stay on her feet all day every day.  Just another useful thing I can learn from my grandma.