Before you plug in that egg beater, juicer or vacuum cleaner, read this. All day long, we depend on devices to make our lives easier—and they do. But, in the process, they help contribute to our “sedentary” and immobile lifestyles. But what if we were not to depend on these electrical devices—and instead used our bodies? Our bodies would get stronger. “Unplugging,” especially in the kitchen, actually produces a lot of mini fitness benefits, says Michele Olson, PhD, professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. Here’s how to do it…

Put aside your electric beater…and mix by hand.

Benefit: Whisking eggs or mixing flour and other ingredients by hand uses most of your arm muscles. It also strengthens your grip—and good grip strength is important for just about everything you do throughout the day.

Put aside your juicer…and squeeze fruit by hand.

Benefit: Using a manual juicer—the kind where you press down and rotate citrus fruits that have been cut in half—strengthens your hand, wrist and forearm muscles…and helps maintain wrist flexibility.

Put aside the food processor…and chop by hand.

Benefit: When you chop vegetables or other foods, you use all the muscles in your upper body, including your shoulders, arms and hands. If you tighten the abdominals and core muscles while you chop (whether you are sitting or standing), you strengthen those muscles as well. When you finely mince by hand, you also are working on your hand-eye coordination.

Put aside the electric can opener…and use a manual can opener.

Benefit: You strengthen your hands and forearm and, in the process, improve your grip strength.

Put aside your vacuum…and use a broom when your cooking is done.

Benefit: You work your entire body. Using a broom involves the hips, legs and core as well as the muscles of the upper body. You can improve the workout by stretching to reach corners and hard-to-reach areas.

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