Energize Your Life With These 5 Moderate Exercises

Sedentary lifestyle is becoming more and more commonplace. Before it's too late and you find yourself the victim of heart diseases, change your life with these 5 moderate activities.

Moderate physical activity is defined as an activity that burns about 150 calories of energy per day. The more vigorous the exercise the less time each day is needed to meet these requirements.

1. Walking 1.75 miles
   
   Duration: 35 minutes
   
   Walking, the simplest of all exercise, is actually a very good way to get more active and burn more calories. Park your car a few roads away from your workplace and walk the rest of the distance to work. Use the stairs instead of the elevators. Walk to the local grocery in your area to buy foods. Get a pet and work it every afternoon. Walk when you are talking on your mobile phone.


2. Running 1.5 miles
   
   Duration: 15 minutes
   
   Running is very good to get rid of muscle stiffness when you are seated at your desk all day. Running tones up your muscles, makes you sweat heavily and thereby cleansing your skin at the same time. Running clears up your head and makes you more relaxed.


3. Gardening
   
   Duration: 30 - 45 minutes
   
   Gardening is a very pleasurable activity in that you get a satisfaction in creating something beneficial for you and for your health. You can plant vegetables and reap them fresh afterwards for your meal. Those who do not have a garden can do this by planting flowers, vegetables in pots. Here is a very interesting article to grow houseplants in your apartments: 5 easy care houseplants for a touch of nature.


4. Dancing fast (social)
   
   Duration: 30 minutes
   
   If you love to shake it, a night at your local club can shake more calories than a few days of walking. Dancing prevents osteoporosis and exercises your body for increased blood flow. It is estimated that dance burns anywhere from 5 to 10 calories per minute depending on speed and intensity. For example, swing and mambo burn more calories than a slow waltz. And of course if you are lucky, you can find yourself a date while dancing! ;)


5. Shoveling snow
   
   Duration: 15 minutes
   
   Shoveling snow may seems a grueling task for the uninitiated but actually it is a very good exercise for muscle reinforcement and increased blood flow. It actually helps you exercise the joints of your wrist and arms. It prevents stiffening of the joints and muscles in the arms.
   
   NOTE: Please be aware that people with back problems should not try shoveling snow as it may place a load on your back. It may cause lumbar hernia, a condition where a disc in your vertebra is dislocated from its position.

It is not necessary to perform complicated exercises, have equipments or go to a gym in order to maintain an active life. Moderate exercises like the ones mentioned above are more than enough and if performed adequately, will help you live a long and full life.


Reference: The above examples are from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (PDF doc)