If fitness is a state of mind, then there’s a potential workout lurking in countless everyday activities. All it takes is a little imagination to turn your busy day of work-errands-chores-downtime into a full exercise routine. Of course, it might cause a little humiliation or at least amusement for those around you, but public shame’s a state of mind, too…right?

Words and illustrations

by Kristine A. Caguiat1. Ever seen an obese taho vendor? Didn’t think so. Follow his lead and walk to the grocery with a pole (if you can’t find one, your lolo’s cane or a walis will do). Do your shopping and hang your grocery bags on either end of the stick and walk back home. If it’s too heavy, let off some steam and scream out your own version of Mr. Taho’s battle cry: “I got these tomatoes on sale!”

2. Don’t bother walking your dog, carry Blackey and walk yourself! Geriatric pets will appreciate the assistance, and you won’t need to spend on fancy weights.

3. Hate waiting for the elevator in a crowded office lobby? Beat all your coworkers to the top and race up the fire exit staircase! Don’t forget that skipping a step makes for a tighter pwet!

4. Make the most of your house by spreading out all your home essentials. Leave that toothbrush in the ground-floor bathroom, soap and shampoo on the second floor, your cell phone in the bedroom, and your laptop in the kitchen. It might also be a good thing to lose your keys on purpose, because the more time you spend walking back and forth looking for things, the more calories you burn while bumming at home!

5. Keep yourself busy at the office: designate yourself the official bottle/jar/anything opener of your company. To really put those flabby arms to work, during lunch break stand by the pantry’s fridge and extend your services to coworkers who need their lunch pried open: be it slippery bottles, Tupperware melted shut, tricky instant noodles, or pressurized thermoses. You might want to keep a hefty supply of office materials for everyone to borrow. You’ll be walking back and forth all day lending staplers, paper, and whatnot to your coworkers.

6. Throw away all your remote controls. Yes, you can end your dependence on them! Every time you want to change the channel or up the volume, you’ll be forced to stand up and cross the room to do it yourself. Actually, maybe you should throw away your couch as well and do some jumping jacks while watching an entire season of LOST—hey, it’s better than bouncing up and down like a little girl during the exciting parts. You know who I’m talking to.

7. The shortest distance is always a straight line from point A to point B. Who cares?! Take the longest way possible when walking anywhere, even if it’s just the bathroom at the mall. Consider it the scenic route. Plus the more you have to go, the faster you’ll be pacing to reach your bathroom destination. You might even end up doing a little bathroom dance for the amusement of complete strangers.

8. Who knew the mall was a good place for circuit training? Save up your spending money and go shopping! The routine is simple: browse the entire store to warm-up, examine, pick up, and hold all your possible items for weight training, try out everything for three twenty-rep cycles (clothes are good, a lawnmower or bicycle even better), and carry all your own shopping bags for stamina building. Before entering another store, make one whole lap of the mall first or count at least five hundred steps, all the while tightly clutching your precious purchases. Start the moment the mall opens, make sure you’ve got a lot of things to look for (like clothes, toiletries, groceries), don’t forget a trip to the bookstore and hardware store, and you’ll be a shopping athlete come sale season!

9. Commit yourself to a weekly comedy night. Watch as many funny movies/TV shows you can handle in an evening or go to a comedy bar with friends. Ten straight minutes of laughter burns up to 40 calories! You can make it twice-weekly once you’ve trained enough, but, remember, listen to your body.