THE winter chill – even in Zululand, where it’s reaching 32 degrees in the daytime – has us waddling to the pantry and digging in every biscuit tin we can find for some chocolate-filled happiness.
Added to this, the copious amounts of tea being consumed in the day and red wine being consumed at night, results in an overweight bottom line.
Then all of a sudden, you wake up, it’s summer and you have to wear a burqini to keep all the rolls in check.
But it’s now the end of July, and we still have some time to get that doughy physique into some sort of shape resembling a human being.
Let’s be honest, nobody wants to spend money on exercise and we don’t want to overexert ourselves and get too fit.
So, here are a few free, low-effort exercise ideas to keep pudge in check.
Babysit
If you don’t have any young children yourself, now is the time to finally connect with those nephews and nieces you’ve been avoiding for so long.
Babysitting is the easiest way to lose weight because you’re going to be running yourself ragged just trying to keep the kids alive.
If the children are toddlers, it’s an added bonus – like doing cardio for a week, but in one hour.
Dance cleaning
You have to do the housework, but while you’re scrubbing the gecko poo off the curtain railings, why not switch on Roxette’s latest hits?
You will be forced to move to the groovy tunes, burning calories and cleaning the house simultaneously.
Hide the remotes
If you have kids, get them to hide your TV/aircon/gate remotes, forcing you to get up off the couch and press the buttons yourself.
If you don’t have kids, have a few glasses of wine and then hide the remotes yourself! While the physical exertion involved is minimal, every little bit helps.
Pretend to be a tourist
Get on those comfortable walking shoes, put on the moon bag, find your old camera and start the tour – around town.
You might not be a tourist, but get into character and pretend to be one.
The walking is great exercise and the running away from would-be thieves trying to steal your camera is even better exercise.
Play video games
Kick those pungent teenagers off the couch and take a hold of those Wii and Nintendo game controllers.
It’s time for some virtual exercise. Don’t make the mistake of playing one of those seated games – you’re probably just going to gain weight this way.
Rather opt for a sports game or some dance contest and get active!
Park and run
If you’re going to the shops – and walking is too much exercise – then park your car as far from the entrance as possible.
This way you are forced to walk a further distance, and even run if it’s raining.
You’re also going to get out of the parking first because you’re so near the exit!
