i love going to the gym and working out. most of the time. sometimes, i convince myself that it’s not a good idea, and frequently, this decision coincides with my participating in one of the following activities that borders on exercise, but doesn’t quite cross the line.

1. working in my company’s downtown office. it’s a half mile walk to the el station, .75 mile walk from the el to the downtown office, and plenty of core work in between as i try to balance my ridiculously heavy bag through the twists and turns of the train. that means walking more than two miles, and if i go somewhere during lunch, that’s practically a 5k! 

2. cleaning/doing the dishes/doing laundry. scrubbing tubs, mopping floors, carrying heavy laundry baskets from room to room. it’s a perfect parallell for a cardio/weight lifting routine in the gym, right? 

3. dancing around my apartment. when dan puts his records on, i can’t help but get my groove on. that’s how dancers get that lean, sleek physique, isn’t it? i thought so. 

4. walking the dog. enough said. 

5. cooking dinner or baking something (see number two, and assume i don’t put more in my mouth than i put in the pot).

6. traveling. forget the fact that you sit completely motionless on a plane for x hours. before and after, you have to trek through the whole airport, usually with heavy luggage in tow. 

7. giving the dog a bath. she squirms SO much and then drying her off is just plain rigorous.

8. going to trade shows for work. tons of walking, almost zero eating and it’s usually a very long day.

what are some things you consider exercise outside of the gym?