Being physically active is super important for your health and wellbeing.
But it’s not always easy.
We live in a desk-bound, office working society that makes achieving daily physical activity recommendations hard.
When you add in the daily stresses of life, lack of time, and personal commitments; it can feel like you’re doing all you can to be active.
But there’s always a way, and you can do more.
The trick is to use methods in which you make your current routine more active.
Without sacrificing family time, time for yourself, or simply time doing the things you enjoy.
Here’s 5 way you can get more activity into your day.
Walk more on your commute
One of the most powerful ways to increase your activity is through walking, and there’s no better opportunity than on your commute to work.
Now you don’t have to walk all the way to work (unless you think that’s possible of course).
But you can do the following:
- Walk to a further station/bus stop to start your journey
- Get off a stop (or two) earlier
- Take a longer route on your current walk
- Once or twice per week walk all the way to work
These also apply to your commute home
Take exercise snacks
We all like a good snack, but this type isn’t made by Cadburys or Walkers.
Exercise snacks are small bite-sized chunks of exercise.
An example might be doing a set of 15 bodyweight squats.
Or a quick walk around the office.
There’s two main ways I like to implement these with clients.
- Set a timer for every 30 minutes and do a set of an exercise. This could be squats, push-ups, lunges, it doesn’t really matter. If 30 minutes seems like too much, then start with an hour. The point is to increase the amount of activity you’re doing and break away from sitting.
- Tag exercise snacks onto things you already do. This is called habit stacking and it’s a great way to implement a new habit. An example would be doing squats whilst the kettle is boiling for your afternoon tea. Or doing a set of x number of push-ups before your shower each morning. If in the office, perhaps you always walk to the furthest water cooler.
Doing these is probably easier on days you’re at home (unless you don’t mind squatting in the office), so perhaps make the most of the days you do work from home.
Active meetings
Where possible make your meetings active.
Now, you don’t have to take the whole team to an exercise class.
But perhaps you can go for a walk to a farther meeting room.
Or stand more.
Maybe if you’re meetings are on the phone, you can walk and talk?
Try to make these more than just sitting and talking.
Many of you will have multiple meetings per day, so this can be another great way of stacking an active habit on top.
Stand more
Standing is more effortful than sitting.
It requires more muscles, burns more calories, and takes you out of the chair.
- Start standing 10 minutes out of each hour
- Build this up to 15, 20, etc.
- Work within your own tolerance, you don’t have to stand all day but if you can reach a point where you are working with a 1:1 ratio, you will feel the difference.
When you do this, you can even add in some squats, lunges, or simply focus on frequently changing your stance.
Movement is movement and it’ll be better than sitting.
If you do go down this route, just make sure your desk is setup for it properly so you’re not putting your shoulders, back and neck in uncomfortable positions.
Use your lunch break
If you’re not already… stop eating at your desk.
Take a lunch break.
Get up from your desk, walk to the canteen, or even better get outside to grab lunch.
If you bring lunch in, then go for a quick 10-minute walk before you eat.
Not only is this a great way to increase activity in the day, but it will also give you a moment to destress and reset yourself a little before getting back to work.
Burnout is a real thing, and these little periods in the day are a good opportunity to decompress.
If you have a gym in the building, then your lunch break is another fantastic way to get in a workout.
As always, focus on what you can do consistently.
Start small, build up the habit, and then progress where you see opportunity.
Not only will these help you to lose weight, but help you to maintain your weight too.
The point is to make this a part of your lifestyle, not just something you do for a week.
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