How to stay active throughout the day?
Working out is great, it makes us feel really good, fit and strong!
Most of us will set the intention to workout once per day in the morning or in the afternoon and do so which is AMAZING!!
What I am here to talk to you about now though is how to stay active throughout your day, which can actually be extremely hard for the majority of us as we have sedentary jobs.
Sitting at an office desk is something that you can not avoid because its your job after all , however there are things that you can do through out your day to help keep your body moving more.
Not only is it the sedentary jobs that keep us from moving our bodies through out the day but university students find it hard too, as studying and getting work done is important and a priority of course, so it can leave some students sitting for up to 6 hours at a time without moving.
Without letting our every day life affect our health here are some little movement tips that you can apply to help you move your body more:
If you work in an office:
1. Have a smaller drink bottle at your desk, now usually I would encourage you to have a large water bottle with you to stay hydrated throughout the day, but by having a smaller one, will get you up from the desk more to go and fill it up multiple times (HOPEFULLY...please do it). Alternatively you can have a glass that you can continue to fill up through out your day too. Make this a priority, drinking water is so important for your health!!
2. Avoid working through your lunch break! I know this can be hard to do, but imagine how much more productive and fresh you will feel when you get up out of your seat, get some fresh air and move around, it will be just the same as having another coffee because of your low energy levels!
3. Make getting up out of your seat more a PRIORITY! Instead of emailing someone who is in the same building as you (and they are not busy) go and see them and talk instead, or take a phone call standing up instead of staying seated if you can, this will get you up and moving more too.
4. Have a step goal of 8,000 to hold yourself accountable to moving throughout the day more, 8,000 steps is a great goal for someone who has a sedentary profession.
If you work from home:
1. Make getting up from your work space a priority, try not to work through until 2pm realising you've skipped lunch and now theres no time because you have to dash to the post office to make it in time before everything closes.
2. Take and make your phone calls standing up, this will encourage you to move around your space more whilst taking a phone call, I actually personally find I am more passionate on the phone when I am walking around with my air pods in.
3.Schedule in a walk to break up your day , around your area, local park, local beach even, just somewhere that is close by, is not going to take too much time out of your day and will encourage you to get up and move more.
4. ALWAYS make the time to make lunch and get outside if you can to enjoy it, try not to work right through with your lunch sitting next to your computer.
5. Have a step goal of 8,000 to hold yourself accountable to moving throughout the day more, 8,000 steps is a great goal for someone who has a sedentary profession even from home, but if you find you work from home and your slightly more active with what you do, aim for 10,000.
If you are a student:
1. Set yourself a reminder or alarm on your phone to get up every hour and move around for at least 10 minutes. Take a moment to stretch, move around the room and correct your posture.
2. Take your lunch breaks, eat mindfully and where possible do this outside. One thing the human race (and over a billion of people suffer with this) is Vitamin D deficiency , so instead of staying cooped up inside , especially on a nice day, get outside enjoy your lunch for 30 minutes and then go back to your study.
3. Have a step goal of 8,000 to hold yourself accountable to moving throughout the day more, 8,000 steps is a great goal for students who find themselves sitting for long periods to study.
4. Walk to campus, if you live 10 minutes away make more of an effort to walk, not only is it better for the environment but its better for your body.
5. Develop a study plan and ensure to add exercise and regular movement to it. Drinking 6 cups of coffee won't keep you energised as much as a walk out in fresh air will. More energy and mental clarity = more information retained.
Moving your body more through out the day is going to help with overall long term fat loss goals, which will also make you feel more energised and healthier. So lets try and set some movement goals to get you up off the seat and more on your feet!
Renee