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Assuming you read my post about the difference between exercise and physical activity, you know I’m all about just getting your body moving. If you’re in need of some ideas I’ve got you covered from here to Sunday! Not only do I have over 3,000 workouts available for free, but I used this as an opportunity to make you a list of ideas.

Some of the list items below may count as both workouts and physical activity, but once I got the ole brain fired up, I couldn’t help myself! With just the group fitness class category alone, I could give you over 30 examples. 

From dancing to fishing, shoveling snow to walking meetings, and volunteering to sightseeing, there’s an idea for you in the list below. Admittedly, some aren’t as enjoyable as the others (who wants to wash floors?), but if you find yourself HAVING to do them, go ahead and count ‘em. 

Technically the numbered list goes to 83, but as I mentioned above, several categories could be expanded so I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess we’re talkin’ a couple hundred options. I didn’t think it was necessary to write out every possible pet-walking option as it’s own number (walk your dog, walk your tiger, walk your snake, walk your goldfish… you get the idea). 

The most brilliant thing about this list is that you can begin to see the myriad of possibilities when it comes to just getting moving. There aren’t rules to moving your body, except try not to hurt yourself. Remember, something is better than nothing, and you don’t have to do all 30 minutes at once. 

Activities

  1. Go for a walk
  2. Running
  3. Hiking
  4. Skiing
  5. Water Skiing
  6. Cross Country Skiing
  7. Rowing
  8. Swimming
  9. Lifting Weights
  10. Yoga
  11. Group Fitness Classes (Bootcamps, Zumba, Barre, SoulCycle, Orange Theory, etc.)
  12. CrossFit
  13. Dancing
  14. Tubing (behind a boat)
  15. Snowboarding
  16. Wakeboarding
  17. Skateboarding
  18. Biking
  19. Canoeing/kayaking
  20. Elliptical
  21. Ice skating
  22. Rock climbing
  23. Roller skating
  24. Snow shoeing
  25. Stair stepper
  26. Surfing
  27. Windsurfing
  28. Golfing (walk your bag!)
  29. Mini-Golf
  30. Pick-up game of basketball/soccer/volleyball at the rec/YMCA
  31. Jump Rope
  32. Water aerobics
  33. Badminton
  34. Bowling
  35. Martial arts (Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, etc)
  36. Fishing
  37. Hockey
  38. Baseball/Softball
  39. Handball
  40. Ping Pong
  41. Wii

Around the House

  1. Gardening
  2. Help a neighbor stack wood
  3. Chop wood
  4. Walking your dog (or insert other pet)
  5. Household chores
  6. Wash your car by hand instead of the automatic
  7. Rake leaves
  8. Shovel snow
  9. Mow the grass with a pushmower
  10. Make meals from scratch (ever had to knead bread for 10min?)
  11. Re-stain the deck/re-paint the fence
  12. Wash windows
  13. Wash floors
  14. “Marie Kondo” your basement/closets/entire house

At Work

  1. Get a stand-up desk
  2. Use an exercise ball as your chair
  3. Use 15-30min of your lunch break to go for a walk
  4. Have ‘walking meetings’ instead of sit downs
  5. Walk down the hall instead of emailing a question
  6. Get a smaller water cup for more trips to the water cooler
  7. Take a 5min stretch break after an intense focus block
  8. Take outgoing mail to the mailroom instead of waiting for pickup

Volunteering

  1. Plant Trees in the community
  2. Pick up litter along the road
  3. Serve in a soup kitchen
  4. Deliver meals or groceries to the elderly
  5. Diaper bank
  6. Chaperone a school field trip
  7. Help build houses with Habitat for Humanity
  8. Assist at events like the Special Olympics or Summer Camps
  9. Coach a youth sports team
  10. Babysit children during a PTA (or other community) meeting
  11. Be a sorter at a donation center
  12. Become the neighborhood crossing guard

Miscellaneous

  1. Park in the furthest spot from work/store/mall/etc.
  2. Sightseeing
  3. Playing with your kids (tag, sports, playground, etc)
  4. Take the stairs
  5. Take a trip to the zoo/museum/theme park
  6. Stretch during commercials
  7. Help a friend move in/out
  8. Do squats or calf raises while brushing your teeth

If you’ve got additions to the list, let me know at mackenzie@runningwithbacon.com or tell me about it on social media using the hashtag #whatsyour2percent. 

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