What are simple ways to increase our daily physical activities?
Are you feeling like your daily activity is low and that you spend the day sitting a lot, maybe in front of a computer at work, or at a desk at home? Don’t worry, you are not alone! You may be coming to the gym twice or even three times a week, and even though this is a healthy habit, it only represents two or three hours out of 168 hours you have in a whole week. If you want to increase your overall physical activity, you must look at it as a daily task.
Fifteen minutes of physical activity each day goes a long way and add up to almost 2 hours each week! If you do not know where to start, don’t worry, we’ve got you with these simple activity tips you can use everyday!
1. Take movement breaks through your day
This is true especially if you work from home or at a desk all day. We have the tendency to slouch and get into positions that are comfortable in the moment but are not healthy for our bodies in the long term. Instead of spending hours sitting at your desk or sitting on your couch if you work from home, set a timer every 45 min, every hour or even every hour and a half if you are someone who really gets in the groove of things and don’t want to disrupt your working flow. The importance is to do it. Take at least a 5 min movement break when the timer goes off, which can include doing some stretches, walking around the office, or even doing some basic body weight movements such as squats, lunges, push ups. Whatever your heart desires, as long as you move your body.
2. Go to work walking, biking, or park a bit further than usual
If you want to drastically increase your daily physical activity, choose to walk or bike to work instead of taking the car. This might take a bit longer and add a bit of time to your daily commute, but it will make you feel good and ready for the day ahead!
The physical activity will increase your blood flow to your muscles but also to your brain so you might feel more focused and more productive when you get to work! If your commute is too long to walk or bike, you can try parking your car a bit further than usual and walk the rest of the way. It may seem like a mountain to climb, but once you get used to your daily dose of physical activity, you will wonder why you did not start earlier!
3. Dedicate a time in your day for some daily physical activity
You may not want to take movement breaks and you might not be able to walk or bike to work, and that is okay. However, you could dedicate a time of your day that you spend moving. Whether you are stretching, walking, exercising, or even doing yoga is up to you, all that matters is that you stick with the goal you had in mind. You soon will find yourself looking forward to this daily physical activity time that is dedicated to you and your body.
These are a few examples of simple ways to increase daily physical activity, but they are not the only ones! Be creative! It is your body and your own fitness journey, so you should spend it doing something that makes you feel good!