Simple Ways To Start Moving Your Body More
How To: Simple Ways To Start Moving Your Body More
Although gyms and fitness studios are great options for getting your sweat on, there is a multitude of other activities you can do that don’t require joining a fitness facility.
In fact, some of the best ways to burn calories are done outside of the gym – meaning you can do them at home, at work, or even when travelling.
Take Walking Meetings
If you are in the position to do so, pitching the idea of a walking meeting is an excellent way to get some steps in while conducting work. Whenever you have a brainstorming session or one-on-one meeting with a co-worker, taking the meeting on the move can be incredibly beneficial for you both. Not only does walking increase creativity, it also means you can get some extra movement into your day.
Even just two 15-minute walking phone calls can lead to an additional 100-calorie burn.
Start Taking The Stairs
Skipping the elevator and taking the stairs is a well-known and popular recommendation to increase movement. By taking the stairs you can burn three times as many calories as you would when standing or light walking.
Stair walking for an exercise break can increase your cardio fitness level, reduce your risk of disease, and boost your fitness level.
Take Movement Breaks
Setting timers for breaks throughout the day is a simple and effective way for increasing your daily movement. Start by choosing a length of time that you will be working, (for example an hour) and set timers for breaks lasting 2-5 minutes.
By getting up and moving around, performing light stretches, or going for quick walks around the office, you can help combat the adverse effects of sitting such as pain, muscular imbalances, and stiffness. These short movement breaks can also help increase your energy expenditure.
There has been research that shows that movement breaks as short as 3 minutes when taken every 30 minutes can ward off the effects of sitting, including more stabilised blood sugar levels, improved fasting glucose, and reduced ‘bad’ (LDL) cholesterol levels. The likely cause of these benefits is the blood flow boost that comes from getting up from your seat.
Chore Workouts
If you have a busy day of chores and can’t find the time to fit in a workout, then we have some good news for you – housework can be a pretty effective workout session. Standard house cleaning can burn upwards of 100 calories in 30 minutes. But if you want to try burning more, then try ramping up the energy you put into the chores. A task such as vacuuming or dusting can be modified into a workout that can build strength.
Gardening
If you are one of the lucky ones with a green thumb, then you have the ability to burn upwards of 100 calories every 25 minutes you spend planning, weeding and digging. This is a great option for when we start to come into the summer months. Gardening will get you out in the fresh outdoors, having you burn calories while you create your beautiful garden – you might even start to grow a few healthy veggies as a bonus.
Stretches
Just 30 minutes of stretching or yoga poses can burn upwards of 100 calories. On top of this, stretching will increase your range of motion in your joints, decrease stress, and will improve and enhance your quality of sleep.
Standing Work
I’m sure by now you’ve seen standing desks in the office, but did you know that by simply standing you can burn an additional 10 calories every 10 minutes compared to sitting down at the office? The good news is you don’t even need a standing desk to reap these benefits – instead you can hold your shorter meetings at a standing location instead of in a conference room.
You can also try standing at home when you watch your favourite tv show or while reading. It might feel weird at first but it will all add up!
To Sum It Up
Part of winning the battle to add more movement into your routine will involve planning ahead and thinking things through. In order to set yourself up for success, we have listed some tips below to help make movement more natural and seamless.
- Schedule your breaks, lunches, workouts and movement into your day and stick to it.
- Make sure you are wearing comfortable shoes and clothing. Either bring comfy clothes with you or plan a comfy outfit so you keep your motivation and desire to move more.
- Use a headset or airpods for calls. This will allow you to walk around and get some more steps in.
- Find a workout buddy. Having another person to hold you accountable is a great way to increase your motivation and stick to your movement plans. You can also take lunch break walks with your workout buddy!
