Burn calories while cooking
Try these quick-and-easy exercises by Thabo Ntuli of Tsculpt, while you prepare your festive feast
Caxton Local Media spoke to Thabo Ntuli, who says it is possible to keep fit while cooking up a festive feast this holiday season.
Ntuli, a personal trainer and owner of Tsculpt (outdoor fitness), believes most people feel the hardest part of getting in shape is getting in their cars and going to the gym. To make things easier, he shared four exercises one can do while your food gets prepared.
“It is sometimes hard to incorporate exercise into your cooking routine such as chopping and stirring, but you can easily do stationary movements which are effective. Do about 15 repetitions of each exercise in a circuit format while completing your cooking,” he said.
- Standing squat
Squat while you prepare your food and count up to 60 seconds then have a break. Repeat while stirring or chopping.
- Calf raise
While chopping up some vegetables or waiting for the pot on the stove to come to a boil, spread your feet shoulder-width apart. Slowly raise your heels, keeping your knees extended, but not locked. Pause for one second and slowly lower your heels back to the ground. Repeat for about 10-30 times or more if you can.
- Single leg lunge
Face the counter or stove top and put your left leg behind you, planting the ball of your left foot on the floor. With most of your weight in the heel of your right foot, bend both knees and begin lowering your hips toward the floor. Make sure to keep your torso straight and tall. When both knees are close to forming a 90-degree angle, reverse the movement and press yourself back to a standing position. Perform 15 reps on one leg before switching sides.
- Lateral leg lift
Face the counter or stove top and stand with your feet slightly narrower than hip-distance apart. Shift your weight to your left foot and use your glutes and hips to lift your right leg as high as you can, laterally out to the side. Carefully lower it back to the starting position, without using momentum to perform the movement. Perform 15 reps on one leg before switching sides.
Ntuli says these exercises can work even when you’re outside or inside the pool. When you do aquatic exercises, the heavier the resistance, the more you can engage your muscles and also burn more calories in a shorter amount of time. “Aquatic exercise allows you to get a great cardio workout, while also increasing your strength, endurance and flexibility,” he said.
Drinking plenty of fluids and staying hydrated is important before and after you work out, Ntuli added.
