Guest Post: Beat the Paunch the FUN way!

 Who needs the gym? Three ways to get active at home after Christmas
So you’ve overdone it with the turkey and mulled wine. Haven’t we all. It’s a rite of passage,
right? But you needn’t fret because gift experiences website Buyagift.com has come up
with some novel ways to shift the festive paunch in time for spring – everything from speed
hoovering to ultimate stair climbing.


Speed Hoover your way to a better shape

What the devil are we talking about? How many of you have stood staring at the aftermath
of a full day of pet and child induced bedlam and wished somebody would just do the
hoovering for you? Well, if Buyagift made adverts then we might just be offering you
a cleaner. Sadly this is a guest post – and besides, old Mavis is still cleaning up after
our Christmas party - so don’t even think about it. But why not turn what is essentially a
mundane chore into a good workout?

For complete focus, put in your headphones (or if you’re lucky enough to have the house to
yourself – then crank up the stereo to get yourself in the mood for the ultimate work out). We
might recommend Queen’s ‘Another one bites the dust’... get it?) OK, sorry...
In any case, quick movements of any sort will work to get your heart rate going – which
will in turn help you to burn those calories. Doing this a couple of times a day could be as
beneficial as a quick jog or power walk - and you’ll have a shiny clean house to boot! Once
you’ve become a pro at this, why not mix up your work out with some lunge hoovering
(maybe not while you’re wearing your favourite jeans).

Squat dusting

This one is fairly self explanatory. All you’ll need is a good duster and some polish and
you’re set. Although you’re obviously not going to be able to reach every single crevice
(maybe utilise you’re power hoovering to get right into the corners of the ceiling) this would
be a great way to tighten up any wobbly bits while getting the cleaning done at the same
time. Squats are really good for developing your leg, thigh and stomach muscles. But,
if you’re wondering how to actually execute a squat, have a quick Google – there are
thousands of cool example videos out there.

Staircase marathon

Although a little wacky, you’ll actually burn more calories doing this then you will jogging
or cycling at a moderate pace. In actual fact, stair climbing is something that personal
trainers recommend and there are machines in the gym that are built to replicate the action
of running up and down a flight of stairs. A twenty minute session will help to tone ad tighten
your leg muscles, improve cardiovascular fitness levels and of course, help you to lose
weight. Psst.. If the kids join you for a stair run in the evening, they probably won’t have the
energy to make a fuss come bedtime – just saying.