5X HIDDEN WORKOUTS

Hey lazy bum. Yes, you. Get off that couch. You don't feel like exercising again, do you? Do you think those extra layers on your hips will disappear by lying under your duvet with a bag of popcorn? Unfortunately, that's not going to happen. Roll out of bed, slip into your joggers (the ones with holes probably, because as a professional netlix watcher, I understand that you don't (just like me) have a special drawer for sportswear) and put on your old Nikes that are covered in dust. Exercising doesn't have to cost anything with these five hidden low-impact workouts.

1. Walking

Walking is definitely not just for the elderly. When I lived in London, I did everything on foot. On a normal day, I easily clocked twenty-five kilometers. But hey, it's not really a punishment when you can stroll from Covent Garden to Regent Street and catch a block of Hyatt Park along the way. And then stop for a nice cup of coffee with a warm scone. Oh no… Anyway, I've covered kilometers, so.

And often with heavy shopping bags, count your gains. So let's leave the car behind, hide your public transport card and get out there. Call a friend you haven't spoken to in a long time and make it a walking date. Because how fun is it to chat while covering those kilometers?

2. Doing household chores

Did you know you can burn up to 400 calories by giving your bathroom a good clean? No, and not by quickly wiping the sink with one cloth. Scrub all the tiles from top to bottom, clean the bathtub until it shines, and scrub the floor. Add an hour of window cleaning and you've almost (almost yes) burned a Big Mac meal's worth of calories.

‘We went to exercise, remember?”

3. Climbing stairs

No, not those three flights of stairs you have to climb to reach your bedroom. Put on your sneakers, find a tall building nearby and smile sweetly at the elderly lady arriving with her groceries. Hold the door open for her and hey, take that stairwell along the way. 10 x 10 floors up and down? That's how you burn calories and train your butt. Bet you'll have sore muscles tomorrow?

4. Seeking out the snow

Book a nice little hotel in the Ardennes with your partner, bring your cross-country skis and seek out the snow. Cross-country skiing, I know: that sounds really dorky and okay, it might be a bit. But isn't it quite nice to glide through the fresh white powder with your partner? And then you can have a warm hot chocolate afterwards. Without whipped cream, though. Ha!

5. Grocery shopping

Gather your daily shopping lists and go buy everything in one go. Take two big bags with you and haul your silly self. ’Yeah, but the grocery store is at least five kilometers away from me...’ Doesn't matter. We went to exercise, remember?

Execute points 1 to 5 at least once a week and save yourself a gym subscription #neverbeexcuses.