Bangalore: Any physical activity burns up calories but the more intense it is, the better for losing weight or shaping up.

"For those rather out of condition, new to exercise or with chronic health problems, activities of moderate intensity may be the best to start with," says health club trainers Natasha Singh. For example, you could use the stairs instead of the lift at work; climbing two or more floors can be a good calorie burner.

Women shopping for groceries within a km from their home could walk instead of driving. Carrying about 5 kg of grocery and walking roughly two km can be a good exercise.

"Particularly women who cannot be at a gym or cannot do regulated workouts can keep a diary and note which activity can be made more moderate or intense. Cleaning the house with a mop instead of a vacuum cleaner or climbing upstairs and down about eight times a day, gardening, ironing clothes and several other daily chores can become part of their exercise," Ms. Singh says.

Even women who get their groceries delivered home should do some brisk walking to shed weight, she says. Fitness walking is an activity that has to be cultivated over days and weeks because many people cannot walk more than half a kilometre at a time if they are really out of condition.

Walking briskly can become a habit after just a few weeks and it helps to tone up almost all muscles if you also swing your arms and move your shoulders while walking.

About 2 km of walking can burn close to 100 calories. You can burn up to 400 calories an hour depending on how fast you walk and whether you are walking up gradients or on flat ground.

"Rainy weather prevents many from walking through June to September in Bangalore. For them and others who can find time only late in the day, a stepper-plus-pedalling machine is a great investment.

They cost between Rs. 12,000 and Rs. 13,000 and, unlike treadmills, can build your stamina and exercise your upper body too. Many machines come with handlebars which activate the pedals or steps," she says.

These machines also come with displays that show the time taken, the speed and the calories burnt. Some have an attachment that can be clipped to the thumb to indicate how fast your heartbeat goes. These indicators encourage you to work out faster and more frequently.

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