Dayton Daily News from Dayton, Ohio • 32

NIFTY NUGGETS Life 4 If Everyday chores can help you speed up dragging metabolism Yummy 'Merci chocolates well worth a taste ROAD TO FITNESS MARJIE GILLIAM Most people wouldn't mind losing a few extra pounds, but have no desire to be MPost your tips What easy ways have you found to become more active? Post your tips online: OaytonDailyNews.comliving possible, think about going back to the old-fashioned way of doing things, even if just once in a while. Everyday chores around the house burn a significant number of calories. Washing windows, mopping, sweeping, dusting and making beds all count toward fulfilling daily exercise requirements. In just 30 minutes, a 135-pound person can burn 129 calories by scrubbing the floor, or burn 112 sweeping, 85 dusting, 102 washing windows or 119 vacuuming. Higher body weights burn a greater number of calories per minute.

Beating the cycle Unmotivated or too tired to be active? Truth is, lack of activity increases fatigue, while activity is an energy booster. The human body was designed for movement. With proper amounts of exercise, the mind, body and spirit are in far better balance, making it much easier to be productive and enjoy life. Without it, stress levels rise, which typically lead to moodiness, feelings of apathy and tiredness. Basically, the more you find yourself sitting during the day, the more your body needs activity to be healthy.

Even if you have a desk job, once an hour or so get up and stretch. Strengthen leg muscles by practicing a few simple squats, getting up from your chair and sitting down again without using the armrests. To strengthen the midsection, when seated, locked into a regimented exercise and eating plan. Fortunately, you don't have to adhere to a structured workout program or continually diet in order to help keep weight under control. The key to burning more calories is having a speedier metabolism, which can be accomplished in a number of ways.

Metabolism starters Some of the easiest ways to rev up your metabolism include: Finding subtle ways to be more active. Most experts agree that for good health, adults should strive for at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity nearly every day. Luckily, this amount can be accomplished in many simple ways, and whatever daily tasks need to be performed, you can get more calorie burn from each one. Yard work burns a large number of calories if done without a lot of convenience gadgets, because it requires use of all of the major muscle groups. These days, however, with riding mowers, leaf blowers and weed whackers, much less exertion is needed to get keeping both feet on the floor until you feel your ab muscles tighten.

To strengthen the upper body, hold onto the armrests of your chair and try pushing yourself up without use of your legs. Walking is by far one of the easiest ways to speed the metabolism and lose unwanted pounds and inches. When at work, use break times to get out and take mini walks. Three 10-minute walks during the day is doable for most people, even with demanding schedules. For a 155-pound person, 30 minutes of walking burns an average of 150 calories.

Pumping the arms as you walk burns even more. Walking is ideal because it requires no equipment, costs nothing, and is safe and fun. If you are already a walker, avoid getting stuck doing the same route, same number of minutes, same pace or same number of days per weeks The body adjusts quickly to walking because it is such a natural activity. In order to increase fitness, strength and relieve potential boredom from doing the same thing over and over again, try taking a different route next time you head out, or increase duration, speed or frequency. Stair climbing.

Take the stairs every chance you get. We all know that taking the stairs instead of using an escalator or elevator increases calorie expenditure, but you can also get nearly twice the calorie burn by taking steps two at a time as you climb instead of single steps. Next week: More easy ways to rev up your metabolism and burn extra calories. Marjie Gilliam is an International Sports Sciences Association Master certified personal trainer and fitness consultant. She owns Custom Fitness Personal Training Services.

Write to her in care of the Dayton Daily News, contact her at (937) 878-9018 or by e-mail at OHTraineriaol.com. Her Web site is at www.ohtrainer.com. FOOD There have been plenty of new chocolate makers jumping into the market lately, and most of them charge an arm and a leg for their luxury chocolates. We tried the European boxed chocolates from Berlin, Germany-based Storck that are labeled "merci" without knowing their price, and were impressed. When we found out their price, we were really impressed.

They cost $5.99 for an 8.8-ounce box of individually wrapped pieces in assorted flavors such as hazelnut-almond, praline-cream, dark cream and cream truffle. The manufacturer says they're available at retailers such as Target, Walgreen's, Wal-Mart Supercenters and Meijer. One Kettering Walgreen's had a spot for them on the shelf, but were temporarily out of stock. So someone else must have discovered them before we did. For chocolate lovers, they're worth a taste.

Mark Fisher, Staff Writer DECORATING How should you display family photos? In the August issue of Domino, 60 percent of decorators interviewed said family photos should be confined to private areas, primarily the bathroom and bedroom, while 40 percent were OK with displaying them tastefully in public living areas. Among the designers' advice: Never put family photos on the piano. Tuck one or two snapshots in the frame of an antique gilt mirror. Frame artsy photos as you would other artwork and hang them with art in a private hallway. Mat and frame photos all the same and group them.

One designer was very blunt about where family photos should go: "Edit ruthlessly and then put both of them in Lucite blocks on a table." Gail Borelli, McClatchy Newspapers the job done. IF lean back, Even housework can be turned into a chance to get physical activity..