Tag: Everyday Activity

  • I Increased My Activity for Weight Loss — Here Are My Results

    I Increased My Activity for Weight Loss — Here Are My Results

    Last week, I decided to increase my activity for weight loss and see what happened.

    The week before, I had been much too sedentary. I was still watching my calories, but I wasn’t moving enough. At the end of that week, I had lost only 0.6 pound.

    That wasn’t terrible. A loss is still a loss. But I thought I could do better.

    So I decided to run a little one-week experiment.

    My Goal for the Week

    I wasn’t trying to turn myself into an exercise fanatic overnight. I simply wanted to move more during my normal day.

    My goal was to be lightly active instead of sedentary whenever I could.

    I used our Weight Loss Calorie Calculator to see how my activity level affected the number of calories I could eat while still working toward my weight-loss goal.

    According to the calculator, I should lose about 1.5 pounds.

    Try the Weight Loss Calorie Calculator

    Now I had a number to test.

    I Didn’t Need a Gym to Move More

    One thing I’ve been learning is that physical activity doesn’t have to mean a formal workout.

    There are plenty of opportunities to move during an ordinary day.

    Cooking gets me on my feet. Housework gets me moving. Taking care of the chickens counts. Walking counts. Even those little trips around the house add up.

    That is why we created the Everyday Activity Burn Calculator.

    You can choose different ordinary activities and see an estimate of how many calories you may burn doing them.

    Try the Everyday Activity Burn Calculator

    That calculator helped me look at everyday movement differently.

    Instead of thinking, I need to exercise, I could think, I need to move.

    For me, that’s a lot easier.

    What I Actually Did

    I didn’t manage to be lightly active every single day.

    For five days, I was lightly active.

    For two days, I was sedentary.

    That’s real life.

    Some days I move more than others. The important thing was that I had increased my activity quite a bit compared with the previous week.

    Then came weigh-in day.

    The Results Are In

    I lost 1.6 pounds!

    The calculator had predicted approximately 1.5 pounds.

    That’s only one-tenth of a pound difference between the calculator’s estimate and what actually showed up on my scale.

    I was very pleased with that.

    I was even happier when I compared it with the previous week.

    When I was too sedentary, I lost 0.6 pound.

    After increasing my activity, I lost 1.6 pounds.

    That’s a full pound more on the scale this week.

    Did the Extra Activity Cause the Difference?

    I can’t say that every bit of that difference came from being more active.

    Body weight naturally fluctuates. Water, digestion and other factors can affect the number on the scale from one week to the next.

    That’s one reason I don’t want to judge my progress by a single weigh-in.

    Still, this experiment gave me exactly the kind of result I was hoping to see.

    I ate according to my calorie goal. I increased my everyday activity. The calculator predicted a loss of about 1.5 pounds.

    And I lost 1.6.

    I’ll take it!

    Everyday Movement Really Does Matter

    The biggest lesson I learned this week is that I don’t have to spend hours exercising to become more active.

    I can look for opportunities to move throughout my day.

    I can cook. I can clean. I can walk. I can take care of the animals. I can get up and do something instead of spending quite so much time sitting.

    Those ordinary activities may not feel like exercise.

    But they’re still movement.

    And movement adds up.

    For me, this experiment wasn’t about becoming an athlete.

    It was about getting out of that chair a little more often.

    Apparently, my chair and I needed some time apart anyway. 😂

    One week doesn’t prove anything by itself, so I’m going to keep watching my results. But after losing 0.6 pound during my more sedentary week and 1.6 pounds during my more active week, I’m certainly motivated to keep moving.

  • I Really Didn’t Feel Like Moving Today

    I Really Didn’t Feel Like Moving Today

    This morning, I was really out of snuff.

    I knew I needed to figure out how to be more active during the day. There was just one problem.

    I really, really didn’t feel like doing it.

    I’ve been down in my back lately, and somewhere along the way I got out of the habit of getting things done. On days when we don’t have work, I’ve even gotten into the habit of staying in my lounge dress all day.

    This morning, I needed to figure out how to get myself moving again.

    I Started by Journaling

    I tried journaling first.

    That helped a little. Writing things down gave me a chance to think about what was bothering me and what I wanted to accomplish.

    But I still needed something more practical.

    So I made myself a list.

    It wasn’t a list of exercises. It was a list of ordinary daily tasks that would get me up and moving.

    Some of them were very simple.

    Wash my face.

    Make the bed.

    Clean the kitchen.

    These aren’t things I would normally think of as exercise. But they do require me to get out of my chair and move.

    And that was exactly what I needed.

    Then I Got Dressed

    This may sound like a little thing, but I think it made a big difference.

    I got dressed.

    Not in my lounge dress. I put on regular clothes and my shoes.

    That seemed to tell my brain that the day had started and I had things to do.

    Apparently, my lounge dress may have been conspiring with my chair. I’m keeping an eye on both of them.

    I Put My Day on the Calendar

    I use Google Calendar to help keep myself organized, so I put my tasks there.

    I also set those tasks to repeat every day.

    Now I don’t have to start from scratch each morning and figure out how I’m going to get moving.

    I already have a simple daily activity plan waiting for me in my calendar.

    That gave me something else I needed.

    I could mark things complete.

    There is something satisfying about finishing a task and checking it off. Then I could move on to the next one.

    Instead of looking at the whole day and thinking about everything I needed to accomplish, I could concentrate on one little thing at a time.

    And every little thing got me moving.

    I Watched My Activity Add Up

    I also used the cardio load feature on my Google Health watch.

    I have a weekly cardio goal, and I could see my activity adding up as I went through my day.

    That gave me another little push to keep going.

    I wasn’t doing a formal workout. I was simply trying to have an active day.

    And it was working.

    Even Feeding the Chickens Became Exercise

    Normally, I might take the golf cart out to feed the chickens.

    Today I walked.

    It was a small decision, but that’s really what the whole day was about.

    Small decisions.

    Get dressed instead of staying in my lounge dress.

    Put on my shoes.

    Make the bed.

    Clean the kitchen.

    Walk instead of taking the golf cart.

    One choice didn’t amount to very much. But by the end of the day, all those choices had added up to a good amount of light activity.

    I Didn’t Wait Until I Felt Like It

    I think that’s the biggest thing I learned today.

    This morning, I didn’t feel motivated.

    I could have waited around hoping motivation would eventually show up.

    Instead, I started doing little things.

    And somewhere along the way, my attitude changed.

    I felt more focused. I felt more productive. And I ended up having a very good day.

    Maybe I don’t always have to feel motivated before I start.

    Maybe sometimes I just need to put on my shoes and do the first thing on the list.

    Then I can see where the day takes me.

    Today, it took me all the way out to the chicken coop.

    On foot.

  • Exercise: It’s All About Movement

    Exercise: It’s All About Movement

    When I think about exercise for weight loss, I’m beginning to realize that it doesn’t always have to mean putting on workout clothes and doing an exercise routine. Sometimes I simply need to get up and move.

    I learned that lesson after having what I thought was a really good week.

    I counted my calories. I stayed on track. I felt pretty good about how I had done.

    There was just one problem.

    I had also been very sedentary.

    That Wasn’t the Number I Was Hoping For

    When I stepped on the scale at the end of the week, my weight loss was disappointing.

    I knew I had done well with my calories, so naturally I started thinking about what else had been different that week.

    And one thing stood out.

    I hadn’t moved very much.

    I had spent far too much time sitting.

    Now, one week’s number on the scale doesn’t prove anything. Weight can fluctuate for all kinds of reasons.

    But it did make me curious.

    Then I Looked at the Calculator

    I started looking more closely at how many calories I should be eating to lose weight.

    That’s when I used our Weight Loss Calorie Calculator.

    What caught my attention was the difference activity makes.

    When I selected sedentary, I could see that my estimated calorie needs weren’t nearly as high as they would be if I were more active.

    That gave me something to think about.

    Calculate Your Calories for Weight Loss

    I realized that counting my calories was only part of what I wanted to work on.

    I needed to move more too.

    Exercise Doesn’t Have to Mean a Workout

    When I hear the word exercise, it’s easy to picture an exercise routine.

    But movement doesn’t have to happen only during a workout.

    I can walk.

    I can clean the house.

    I can work outside.

    I can get up and do something instead of sitting in my chair.

    Of course, I can deliberately exercise too.

    The important thing for me is to move.

    So I’m Putting More Movement Into My Day

    This week, I’m making a point of being more active every day.

    I haven’t suddenly become an athlete.

    I’m just paying attention.

    If I have an opportunity to move, I’m trying to take it.

    Instead of thinking that exercise has to be a separate event that I somehow have to fit into my day, I’m thinking about how I can put more movement into my day.

    That feels much more manageable to me.

    So What Will the Scale Say?

    I don’t know yet.

    That’s the interesting part.

    I’m counting my calories, and this week I’m deliberately adding more movement to my days.

    Will I have a better weight loss when I step on the scale next week?

    Maybe.

    Maybe not.

    Weight can fluctuate for plenty of reasons, so one week won’t prove anything either way.

    But I’m curious.

    And since you’re following along on my Calorie Crusade, you’ll find out when I do.

    To be continued…