There is no way around it. Living a sedentary life is described as sitting more than four hours a day, whether at work or at home. When you realize this, you note right away that most people, with few exceptions, are easily living sedentary lives if they don’t find a way to intentionally move more.
Thankfully, you need only walk about 15 minutes every four hours to reduce the effects of that sedentary life. You can do that by using these ways to make exercise part of your everyday life.
- Park in the Back – When you drive, don’t park nearest the entrance. Instead, park as far away as you can that you feel is safe. That way it forces you to walk those extra steps every time you need to go to your car.
- Walk Instead of Ride – Whenever the weather is good and the distances take less than an hour, try walking. Walking just one hour at a moderate pace of about 3 to 5 miles per hour can get you beyond where you may think.
- Ride Your Bike – If you don’t want to walk, or you’d like to change it up, start riding your bike instead of driving. Many cities now have bike lanes and paths that make it a lot simpler to do it.
- Do What You Enjoy – Find activities that require movement that you like doing. There are so many things to choose from that there is no real reason to do things that you hate. If you don’t like running, don’t. Maybe you like rock climbing or hiking instead?
- Get Your Friends Involved – The more people that do things with you actively, the better. You’ll enjoy the activity more and when you hang around with healthy people, you’re more likely to be healthy too.
- Challenge Yourself – Sometimes, it’s fun to give yourself a little challenge to meet. For example, you can have a challenge to run a marathon by joining one of the couch-to-5K groups. Or, if you like yoga, you can enroll in yoga teacher training in order to challenge yourself to do more.
- Reward Yourself – When you set a goal for yourself and achieve it, you should find a way to reward yourself for it. Remember to make your rewards healthy. Don’t reward yourself with fries for hard work eating right, for example.
- Don’t Compare Yourself to Others – There is no reason ever to look at someone else’s fitness level or desire and judge yourself harshly. You are you; they are them, and you’re great the way you are.
- Take the Stairs – Anytime you’re confronted with stairs versus elevator, take the stairs, whether up or down. The more you do this, the better for your general health.
- Take an After-Dinner Walk – Studies show that walking at a moderate pace for just 20 minutes after a rich dinner reverses the effects of that dinner on your cardiovascular system.
- March or Dance While Watching TV/Screens – If you want to watch a lot of TV or screens and shows every day, instead of just sitting to watch, move while watching. You can march, dance, ride a stationary bike, and not miss a thing.
- Stand When Taking Phone Calls – Don’t sit down while you’re talking on the phone. Instead, pace. The more you pace while talking, the more it is worth it to talk more on the phone.
- Invest in a Sit/Stand Desk – If you have a sedentary job at a desk using a computer, find out if you can get your company to provide you with a sit/stand desk. Or create one yourself by adding a shelf that enables you to stand.
- Play More with Kids and Pets – Even if you don’t have kids or pets yet, find some to play with. Playing and running around without any goals is a wonderful way to burn energy, get more exercise, and feel happy. You can always volunteer with a shelter or Big Brothers Big Sisters.
- Be Less Productive – Instead of sending an email to your co-worker, walk to another office, walk to the break room, walk to the printer, and be less efficient so that you can move more often.
The thing to get clear on is that it doesn’t take much to really make an impact on your health. Moving more just 30 minutes a day at a brisk pace, combined with a healthy, balanced diet, is enough to help you reduce the risk of disease later in life.
