But are you sick of lifting weights? Cringe at the idea of hitting the treadmill?

Don’t blame yourself. Your body’s trying to tell you something.

Ever get so bored during a lecture that you are on the verge of nodding off? Well, your body goes through a similar effect when exposed to the same workout time and time again.

This can be explained through the SAID principle, according to John Ciecko, a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist through the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA).

SAID stands for Specific Adaptation to Implied Demands.

“Basically the body adapts to workout demands imposed on it,” said Ciecko, citing that the body can adjust in a range of 4-8 weeks.

“So, if a person were to only do a certain exercise, then their body would only use the same amount of energy needed to complete that task, so they would never gain the results they wanted.

“A person’s body would adapt to that workout, so it will not use more energy than needed to complete the task. The body does this so it can run as efficiently as possible,” he added.

The body can also suffer disparities over time due to repetitive workout, according to Dr. Stafford Rorke, an associate professor in Oakland University’s School of Health Sciences.

“One risk with the same repetitive workout is imbalance, or not balancing the health-related components of fitness, namely cardiovascular fitness, strength, muscular endurance, flexibility and body composition,” Rorke said.

“Simply put, someone who has a focus only on cardiovascular fitness may lack fitness in other areas.”

The trick is to mix up the workouts so you keep your body guessing.

Since not everyone enjoys going to the gym or hitting the pavement in running shoes, here are some unconventional exercises that can give you a surprisingly good workout.

Do chores

You probably wouldn’t associate general housekeeping with physical fitness. But if you break down basic household tasks, you might be surprised how many calories can be burned in an hour’s time.

Vigorous house cleaning, such as doing multiple loads of laundry, lifting heavy objects to vacuum and window washing can burn as many as 388 calories an hour depending on body weight, according to NutriStrategy, a group that provides nutrition and diet information.

If you have a green thumb, general gardening activities can burn as many as 431 calories an hour and pushing a lawn mower can burn as many as 474 calories.

Stuck baby-sitting little tykes? Don’t think of it as a burden, but rather as a way to burn calories and get your body moving.

General childcare, such as dressing, feeding and entertaining the kids, can burn 200-300 calories an hour.

Playing outdoor games with the little ones can also burn a wide range of calories an hour, depending on body weight and choice of activity.

Have a jam session 

Even if you and your band never make it big, at least you’ll have the consolation of having worked up a decent sweat in the process.

Playing guitar in a rock ‘n’ roll show can burn 170-260 calories an hour.

If you’re more of a Phil Collins than a Peter Gabriel, you can burn 230-345 calories an hour by playing the drums.

If acoustic is more your style, you can burn up to 170 calories an hour while serenading your sweetheart.

Get your Dance Dance on

Okay, before you label Dance Dance Revolution as a “dorky” game, look at how effective of a workout it can be.

Newer versions of the game have a “workout mode”, which not only calculates how many calories you burn in a game session, but also how many miles you’ve run, laps you’ve swam, and times you have jumped rope.

The game is relatively simple. You pick your difficulty level, find a catchy tune and put your foot on the corresponding arrow as it comes up in tune to the music.

On light mode, you can burn as many as 12-15 calories per song, which last anywhere from one to three minutes. Meaning, in one hour, you could burn as many as 900 calories. Not too shabby for a “dorky” game.

So grab some friends and make it a group workout; with all the laughing you’ll be doing, you can burn as many as 40 calories in 15 minutes simply by spreading good cheer.

Suck it up and walk

As members of the Oakland University community, we all face the daily trials and tribulations of finding that coveted close parking spot, and we will go as far as stalking the aisleways in hopes that somebody will find their car and leave their space vacant.

By doing so, you are completely negating the most simple of workouts: walking. No equipment, facilities or leg-warmers are needed; just your own two feet.

In fact, by parking your car at a farther location from your destination and walking around campus for the day, you can burn as many as 400-600 calories an hour, depending on your pace, terrain and body weight.

This doesn’t just go for parking at Oakland. Whether it’s the mall, a concert venue or exploring downtown Rochester, you can get a decent workout simply by biting the bullet and parking farther away.

Use the buddy system

It’s easy to fall off the workout wagon when you take on the challenge yourself. This is why Dr. Jackie Drouin, associate professor of physical therapy at OU, recommends doing physical activities with others.

“The accountability and camaraderie promote adherence to training,” Drouin said. “The major reason people stay in an exercise group is due to the people they hang with.”

Instead of getting together to watch television all day, get out of your seats and do something active.

You can play a pickup game with your friends or go on a jaunt with your favorite four-legged friend.

“My best friend is a 90-pound German Shepherd, who is an excellent training buddy,” Drouin said. “We go [out] twice a day for 40 minutes in rain, shine, snow or Michigan weather.”

These alternative workouts are just the tip of the iceberg of options you have to stay fit. For a complete list of some alternative workouts and activities and how many calories can be burned for each, go to www.nutristrategy.com/activitylist.htm.