<http://schema.org/articleBody>
" Forget the Stairmaster in the basement. What if the house itself was your Stairmaster. Hungry? Climb the ladder to the kitchen. Want a shower? Use the two-story rock wall to get to the bathroom. There&amp;#039;s no way around it. These houses were designed to be fat-free, to make you move even if it means having to strap on skis to get there. Author of High Fit Home, Joan Vos MacDonald, strongly advocates &amp;quot;designing the whole home so that people are encouraged and even enticed into walking or moving during the course of their regular activities.&amp;quot; The house that inspires (or, in many cases, forces) you off the couch is the house that make you lose weight. Our only question: Where can we get one too?  Home On The Range Getting to this house on San Juan Island, Washington, is quite a hike. Literally. But if that doesn&amp;#039;t tire you out, try mountain biking through the 42 acres of steep, mountainous terrain that surround the house. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Water Works A strict no-motorboat policy on this lake means rowing is the only way to get home. The good news? You can ditch the gym since your twice-daily workout will keep you in tip-top shape.  Row House This neighborhood on the Swedish coast is all about great sea legs. Especially when the only way to borrow a cup of sugar from the neighbors is to paddle your way into their kitchen.  Ski For All The only way to get to this house in Zauchensee, Austria, is to strap on those Nordic skis and work your way to the front door.  Bridge Your Gap Even the Mini Cooper couldn&amp;#039;t shimmy down this &amp;quot;driveway&amp;quot; in Boothbay, Maine. So what&amp;#039;s a weary homeowner to do after a long, hard day at work? Get out and walk, of course. Credit: Courtesy of Worldislandinfo.com  It&amp;#039;s A Jungle Out There\u2014And In Here This rendering shows a &amp;quot;jungle-gym&amp;quot; house with jigsaw components that make you want to climb, explore and work your way to the top. Designed by Owen Moss, the three-floor home&amp;#039;s intricate angles and curves keep you moving\u2014and guessing what&amp;#039;s around the corner. Photographer: Courtesy of Collins Design  Step Lively On this 20&amp;#039; x 20&amp;#039; parcel of land, there was only one way to build\u2014up. In the Ablitt House by Jeff Shelton Architects, the only way to get around is by taking on 72 stairs of cardiovascular punishment.   Onward and Upward Tucked in the trees of Hyogo, Japan, this 3000-square-foot house is traversed via a thigh-burning staircase that winds here, there and everywhere. The owners have kindly carved out a few stops for those guests who need to rest their weary legs. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Step to My Loo When architect, Peter Anderson, asked the homeowners of this ten-story &amp;quot;Stairmaster&amp;quot; house if they wanted an elevator installed, they replied: &amp;quot;No, running up and down stairs is good for you.&amp;quot; Especially when the bathroom is on the fifth level! Each room in the house is its own floor so to get from one area to the next you must take the stairs\u2014two at a time!  If You&amp;#039;re So Inclined These steeply inclined stairs are designed to give your lower half an intensely rewarding experience. It&amp;#039;s called the burn and you feel it every time you want to go up\u2014or down\u2014the main staircase. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Pick Your Way Talk about extreme living. To get to this home in Stol Mountain Ridge, Slovenia, you&amp;#039;ve got to do some pretty fierce ice climbing. The good news is that the high-level trek is sure to burn off that triple-decker sandwich you ate for lunch. Credit: Inspired by Nature: Plants \u00A9 2008 W.W. Norton &amp;amp;amp; Co. (available April 2008)  Workout Space So you drive home, open the front door and behold: an obstacle course of uneven floors, sloping walls and ladders. Even if you get past the moguls, you&amp;#039;ve got to climb some rungs to get to the bathroom or bedroom. &amp;quot;Procedural architects,&amp;quot; Arakawa and Madeline Gins, built this Tokyo loft based on the principals of Reversible Destiny, which seeks to challenge the body and mind as a way to keep you on your toes\u2014and on this Earth, a little longer. Photographer: Toshi Ando  Hit The Wall Adding a sense of adventure to this house\u2014not to mention a full-body workout\u2014a rock wall vertically connects two bedrooms. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  What Goes Around Comes Around This home&amp;#039;s circular layout means taking a short cut isn&amp;#039;t an option, unless you hook up a rope and rappel from floor to floor. Every way is the long way so you work it coming and going. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Home Court Advantage Aside from the stray tennis ball that occasionally smacks into someone as they&amp;#039;re watching TV, this Connecticut homeowner is gung-ho about his room-side tennis court. With the net practically in the sitting room, the family can&amp;#039;t help but get out and play a game or two. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  The Family That Plays Together ... Who needs a garage? Not this Atlanta family who converted their two-car attached garage into a playroom equipped with ping pong, basketball hoop, rock climbing and more. Now, instead of after-dinner Scrabble, they face off across the ping-pong table or race each other up the wall. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Out On a Limb To get from room to room in this unusual house, you&amp;#039;ve got to tackle wobbly rope bridges and climb steep ladders. (Without a net!) The upper level of this tree house, built within a copse of Scottish pines, is for the children. The lower level accommodates the adults. Why? At that height, there&amp;#039;s a shorter distance to fall.  Go Climb A Tree Just remember that if you&amp;#039;re invited to this home for dinner, make sure to wear comfortable shoes. Not only do they expect you to bring a covered dish, but they expect you to climb with it up a tree to their leafy dining room. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Rooms With A View It&amp;#039;s a long way up ... and down the ladder attached to this modern tree house in Plendelhof, Germany. But the homeowners think the spectacular views are worth the dizzying climb to their front door. Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  Walk This Way A maze of walkways connects the many buidings in this rugged Adirondack-style home in Northern Connecticut, which is exactly what the owners wanted. If you&amp;#039;re going to be a couch potato, you&amp;#039;ve at least got to work to get to the couch.  Credit: Courtesy of Collins Design  The Big Kahuna When you want to get a midnight snack in this 50,000-square-foot Connecticut house (currently under construction), give yourself a good ten minutes to walk\u2014or better yet\u2014run to the kitchen. The trek back to your bedroom should burn off at least part of your meal Check out more of the wildest homes! Twelve of the Narrowest Homes in the World Surreal Estate: Architecture You Have to See to Believe Ultimate Swimming Pools  "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elledecor.com/celebrity-style/luxury-real-estate/a579/21-houses-that-make-you-lose-weight-52262/?click=edc-more>