If you’re like a lot of people who lead busy lives, and have multiple responsibilities to juggle, you may find it challenging to find time stay fit. No doubt you probably already know that regular physical activity is a vital part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
The good news is that even if you are very busy, there are strategies to incorporate more movement into your life without taking too time much or effort. Here are several suggestions to get you moving more everyday.
- Strategic parking. One very simple and effective way to add more exercise to your daily life is to park your car strategically.
- If you drive to work each day, instead of looking for a close parking space, try parking in a space further away so that you’ll have to walk more to get to your job. Or you could simply do a lap or two around the parking lot before heading into work. You may also try this when you go shopping.
- If you rely on public transportation to get to work you may try getting off one stop sooner, and then walking the rest of the way to your job. Or if that’s too far, get off at your regular stop, and then head off to the parking lot for a couple laps.
- Work from home? No problem. Build in a walking “commute” to work. Each morning, before you sit at your desk to begin working, take a lap around the block before you start your work day. Besides giving you an added dose of daily movement, it will also help you to establish a work-home boundary.
- Try a standing desk. Many of us are guilty of sitting way too much. If fact, sitting has been referred to as the new “smoking” because of it’s negative impact on the body.
- You may have noticed that standing desks have become popular. That’s because they are a great alternative to sitting for hours. These desks adjust to your height. Another option is a desk converter which sits on your current desk and adjusts up to your standing height. Standing engages more muscles and will encourage you to move more.
- A great alternative, if a standing desk is not an option right now, is to get a pedal exerciser. It’s like having the pedals of a bicycle without the bike. It’s small enough to fit under your desk and allows you to get movement while you’re sitting and working.
- Use a timer. If you’re a desk worker it is so easy to sit there at your computer for hours plugging away.
- To avoid that, try using a timer. You could set it for every 20 or 30 minutes. Every time it goes off that means its time to move. Walk around your desk a few times, do some stretching, do some squats to increase the blood flow in your legs. Or try stepping outside to do some deep breathing. This will refresh you and allow you to return to your work with renewed focus.
- Workout while you wait! We all have those times when we have to wait for something, like waiting for water to boil; or when we are doing those small little things that we’ve done a thousand-and-one times, like brushing our teeth. These times can be opportunities for movement.
- During one of these waiting times, try marching in place, walking around the house, or doing a few squats.
Our bodies were created for movement. When we fall into the sedentary lifestyle trap our physical (and mental) health begins to slowly decline. Even with a busy life there are opportunities for more movement waiting for us to grab. Begin incorporating these strategies for increasing your daily movement and you will feel more energized throughout the day.
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