18 Ways to Add Oomph to Your Everyday Activities

In a previous entry, we talked about the many brain health benefits of physical exercise, and its role in reducing risk of MCI and progression to dementia. But you don’t have to hit the gym to get your heart pumping! Here are 18 ways to add umph to your everyday activities. Be sure that you are medically cleared to do these activities before you jump in, but if you are given the green light – go for it!

Source: WavebreakMediaMicro

1. Go on regular morning power walks in your neighbourhood or in your local shopping mall with family or friends
2. Cut a rug – go out dancing with your favourite dance partner
3. Park as far away from the store as you can to add extra steps to your daily walk count
4. If you have a short shopping list, carry your groceries around the store and out to the car rather than push a cart
5. Scrub the floors, vacuum the stairs, or wipe your windows with gusto – enough to break a sweat
6. Cordially lay off your neighbourhood kid and do your raking and shoveling yourself
7. Get off the bus one or two stops before your stop and walk the rest of the way
8. Jump in leaves, build a snowman, or run through the sprinkler with your grandkids
9. If you are going a few flights, climb the stairs rather than take the elevator or escalator; if you are going many flights, get off the elevator three flights below your destination and take the stairs
10. Walk the golf course instead of riding the cart
11. Instead of calling your neighbours to chat, walk over to their house
12. When you are watching TV, listening to the radio, or talking on the phone, lift small weights, do leg lifts, or stand up and do toe stands
13. Walk your grandchildren to and from school, and stop at the park to swing or toss a ball with them
14. Get a pet dog that needs to be walked a few times a day
15. Wash your car by hand rather than going through the auto-wash
16. Play charades or whole-body action video games at your next dinner party
17. Hit the bongo or regular drums with your grandkids
18. Buy a step counter and challenge your friends or family members to a competition to see who has the highest daily average step count

With a little bit of creativity, it can be easy and fun to add “umph” to your normal activities. Every little bit adds up towards better brain health!