Anyone do unconventional exercise?

I make sure to exercise 6 days a week, but I dont go to a gym.  I find its easier for me to play with toys....I juggle, spin poi(fire spinning) for uppper body.  Poi spinning works out your entire upperboddy back, chest, abs, shoulders. arms.  For lowerbody I hacky sack...works specific muscles while helping flexibility and makes me jump around a lot.  I also rollerskate, ride a skateboard, ride a casterboard, hula hoop.  I make sure to have fun and play everyday and I will push myself and make sure I get my heart rate up.  I was just wondering if anyone else had a not so conventional workout?

I guess activity is activity, right? Any activity you can get in, the better, regardless of what it is. As long as it burns a good amount of calories its good enough.

Dont know if shopping would be considered a workout, but thats the only nonconventional workout I do. lol

But those things sure beat sitting on your arse all day. If you're losing weight on it, and you're having fun, keep at it!

Erwan Le Corre- old video and new video

The new one is better, IMO.

My mother maintains that you can fit all exercise into daily activities:

Walking from the hip and focusing on the muscles that are being used.

Walking up stairs 2 steps at a time.

Lifting from your legs and thighs and not your back.

Concentrating on using your shoulders or legs to push the lawnmower and not just strolling along letting it drive itself.

That's just a few - I think that's the best attitude to have because you can do it for a lifetime. She's mid-50's and I'm 20 yet I'm still envious of her body, haha.

Original Post by bmx419:

Erwan Le Corre- old video and new video

I love this concept - no gym required

I agree with baboo's mom. I try to incorporate physical challenges into a lot of the things I do daily. My kids keep telling me to stop doing ab crunches on the edge of the tub (while I'm drying my hair) cause they're afraid I'm going to fall in and break my neck.

That nantural movement in Nature video is awesome.  Barefoot running huh?  Id be scared I'd step in something gross.  Steill looks like fun, to me this looks like a perfct example of alternative gym activity.  I can't see that guy getting in to a treadmill.  So much more intelectually stimulating running in nature and dealing with challanges as they come up.

I try to mix it up with "unconventional" things now and then, too. I love your poi spinning workout idea! I mostly jog which can get boring, so sometimes I will skip or do cherry-pickers (always a little awkward when someone passes you, but oh well). Also, the winters are pretty bad here so I do a lot of moving/dancing around the house when it is icy, too. I am thinking about buying a mini-trampoline to use on days I haven't gotten any exercise in.  Then I can watch tv while I jump and not feel guilty :)

I hula hoop in addition to doing vigorous conventional exercise (lifting and jogging). While I know hooping is considered exercise, to me it's just fun and relaxing!

Yeah it is usually relaxing and just for fun but with hooping you can alter your speed and jump around a lot and it really gets yoyr heart working.  I dont treat any of my toys like Im forcing myself to workout( if i feel like that i go for a walk) its just fun to make exercising fun.  I can't afford a gym membership and I dont think I would fit in there so its cool to be able to bust out the toys and make it work.

My honeydo's and volunteer construction work are my unconventional exercises. They usually takes up my entire weekend.

For example:

This Saturday my friends and I will repair the house of an elderly couple, we'll be replacing the front door, 2 windows, fix the ceiling, put new tiles in kichen, repair kitchen sink drain, repair kitchen cabinet doors, replacing living room carpet with engineered wood floor. I think we'll be working from 8am to 5pm with just a 30 minute lunch break.

Sunday I'll be putting up concrete panels on my own house. I'll be doing about 7 hrs of that after church.

Come Sunday night, I'll take one Advil and be out like a light at 9:00 pm.

I never count the calories on those days, my estimate is around 2,500-3,500 kcal/day above my BMR.

Those activities during weekend make the daily run, bike, swim, weight lifting etc. feel so easy.

Yea, this Saturday I'm helping to winterize a Christian center. Boarding up windows and chopping A LOT of fire wood for the winter. Also, rotating out the old wood with the new. They said it would all take around 8hrs, but I love physical labor. I wasn't built to sit around.

Original Post by skateher:

I make sure to exercise 6 days a week, but I dont go to a gym.  I find its easier for me to play with toys....I juggle, spin poi(fire spinning) for uppper body.  Poi spinning works out your entire upperboddy back, chest, abs, shoulders. arms.  For lowerbody I hacky sack...works specific muscles while helping flexibility and makes me jump around a lot.  I also rollerskate, ride a skateboard, ride a casterboard, hula hoop.  I make sure to have fun and play everyday and I will push myself and make sure I get my heart rate up.  I was just wondering if anyone else had a not so conventional workout?

I do a lot of freestyle rope skipping.  In my youth, I was an elite level rope skipper.  I don't like a lot of traditional exercise as I find it repetitive.  I picked up a rope again at 200lb and 5'2.  Wasn't so easy on the knees at first, but it's fun now.  I can do some tricks that I couldn't do years ago when I was only 100 lbs.

Whatever works....

well I just stay active now. Instead of trying to find something on TV or surfing the internet, I go out for a walk, dance to some music  or do something where I am moving. I live on campus so I walk every where and take the long way around. I take the stairs whenever  I can and always make sure to work the stomach muscles and legs as i walk. I dont count cals anymore and am just maintaining. However I would love to start some strength training exercise program that I can do at home with body weight.