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I don’t know about you, but I feel like most of my day is spent sitting. I go from sitting down to have my coffee, sitting on the floor with my kids, sitting at my desk to work, to then end the night sitting while I do more work while watching TV.
So many of us have jobs where we spend 8 hours a day sitting. We are lucky if we a squeeze in a visit to the gym a couple of times a week. But did you know that there are serious health hazards that come from sitting all day?
If we can’t find time to get to the gym, that means we have to find other ways to move more.
For the last couple of months, I’ve been experimenting with different ways to be more active that aren’t going to the gym. By the numbers on my fitness app, I’ve increased my daily movement by 15%. That’s a pretty good start!
10 Ways to Move More Throughout the Day
5-minute wakeup routine: This can be as simple as doing a simple yoga sequence or if you need something more intense, planks and burpees.
Park farther away from the door to the grocery store or work: You don’t have to park in the absolute last spot, but even parking a few spots back will help.
Go fill your water bottle: We should all be drinking more water anyway, so go walk to the water fountain and refill your bottle.
Walk during lunch, or walk to lunch: If you packed a lunch walk outside and eat it on a park bench. If you usually order in for lunch, walk to your favorite lunch spot instead.
Take the stairs: Start by taking the stairs for one floor, even if it is only once per day. Work your way up to going up more flights at once.
Clean: Cleaning is a two-for-one. You get to move and you clean. I love to do a ten minute tidy.
Do a mini stretch session: Work from home but can’t walk away from your desk? Do a mini stretch session. You can do this at work too if you have a cubicle (or if you don’t mind the weird stares you’d get in an open workspace).
10-minute dance party: Dance with the kids (or just by yourself when you get home from work, yay for leaving the office).
Play with the kids, or the dog, or the cat: Help your kids or pets get some exercise in too. Chase the kids down the hall, throw a ball for the dog, get the feather toy out for the cat…
Do squats and lunges while cooking: While you’re waiting for your steak to sear or for your water to boil, take some time to do some squats and lunges while you wait.
Final Thoughts on Ways to Be More Active
See aren’t those so simple? Get your fitness tracker downloaded and use these 10 easy ways to be more active. Pin it for later in case you forget too! Want to start a workout routine, I’ve got some helpful tips on that too.
