By Sara
Have you heard that we should increase our physical activity throughout our day? This is a common thread when consuming any content regarding increasing wellness. The reasons why we should move more through our day make sense. But how do we work exercise into our already busy schedules?
First things first, let’s look at why we should be making these changes to increase our physical activity. Some advantages of physical activity include: reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes, improves the efficiency of your heart muscle’s pumping function. Increasing ‘good cholesterol” HDL and decreasing “bad cholesterol” LDL are other benefits. Also, getting your body moving will help you to decrease stress. Clearly these are all fantastic by themselves– but together they can even increase your energy levels, and who doesn’t need more energy these days?
“Our bodies were built to move, and this keeps us physically young and healthy.”
Increasing physical activity at home:
- Create a new family ritual of going for a walk together after dinner. Just a 15-minute walk after dinner can help to decrease blood sugar levels, and improve digestion.
- Create a stretching routine before bed. This can help you to wind down and relax, allowing you to fall asleep faster. There are many free videos showing how to do this on Pinterest and YouTube.
- While watching TV, during commercial breaks, do some Supermans, or planks or wall sits or push ups, sit ups, you get the idea! Again, there are many free apps and videos available to learn proper body mechanics, etc.
- Get an activity tracker, and challenge family or friends to move challenges or to get more steps. Set a notification hourly to remind you to get up to move, even if it is simply walking around the home, or going up and down the stairs a couple times.
- Do your own house work and landscaping. Obviously household chores require movement, and you don’t have to do it all yourself. During the summer while the kids are home, make it into a game, or a race to get the house clean (with the rule no shortcuts and it must pass muster).
- As a reward for completing household tasks, rather than just watching your kiddos play, join them and earn “cool” Mom points! Play Tag, or Hide and Seek (offer to be the Seeker– kids love to “hide”!). Duck Duck Goose, Musical Chairs, Hop Scotch and Jump Rope are all fun as well. Or Shake it up with Hula Hoops, or roller skating, or a bike ride. The nostalgia of playing these with your kids will make it all the better for everyone– what great memories this will build!
- While you are watching your kiddos sports activities, get up and walk around. (Or volunteer to referee and run around!)
- Park further away from stores when out getting groceries and running errands. The extra walking will pack in extra steps, and you’ll have less door dings and other damage from the parking lots.
Ways to increase physical activity while at work:
- If you are able, bike or walk to and from work, making your commute part of your exercise. Or if you ride the bus or train, get off a stop earlier and walk that extra distance.
- Stand up frequently at work and use your 15-minute breaks to take a quick walk. This way you are getting in your steps, moving your body during work, so it takes less from the time you have with your family outside of work hours.
- Always take the stairs when you have a choice, rather than an elevator.
- Rather than sending an instant message or email, get up to go talk to your colleague about project-related questions.
- Another mention for the hourly move notifications from an activity monitor. (For instance, when I do this, I use this time to go send faxes, file paperwork, grab more paper for our printer, anything that requires me to get off my tush!)
- Use a standing desk if possible while you are stationed at a desk. Additionally, move as you stand, rather than just standing stationary for long periods.
- Keep yourself well hydrated, drinking enough water through the day so that your urine is pale and clear. This will keep you up to the restroom and to fill your water bottle, thereby getting more steps in!
- Suggest walking meetings so that you can all benefit as a group to increase your activity level and feel-good hormones.
As you can see, many of the ideas above do not require extra time throughout your day. Finding ways to weave activity into your daily life is magical, as you don’t feel such a time crunch as with finding time for an extended workout.
Those who are seated more than 6 hours daily can lessen their life expectancy by 18-37% according to a study by the Lancet Journal. Prolonged sitting is just as damaging to an individual’s health as is tobacco use (Hallal et al). To sum up, the goal here is to build movement into your daily routine so that you increase activity all day long. Our bodies were built to move, and this keeps us physically young and healthy. Undoubtedly inactivity and disuse of our bodies creates illness and unwell.
Since reading this, do you feel more prepared to take on the day in a more active format? You will only benefit from building some of these strategies into your daily life. We hope you will strive to increase your physical activity throughout your day with us.
If you’re ready to start a healthier lifestyle and want to join us, please follow us on Instagram and Facebook, and consider joining our private Facebook group. We will be hosting monthly challenges at the beginning of each month to encourage healthier lifestyle habits and hope to be able to cheer you on there!
For related posts, check out the following:
Top Perks that Lifestyle Changes Offer for your Health
Top 5 Reasons to use Meal Prepping When New to a Plant-Based Lifestyle
Source:
Hallal, P. C. H., Ekelund, U. E., Haskell, W. H., Guthold, R. G., Bull, F. C. B., & Andersen, L. B. A. (2012, July 21). Global physical activity levels: surveillance progress, pitfalls, and prospects. TheLancet.com. https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60646-1/fulltext
