Unlock a Healthier You: 45 Ways to Move More Every Day! đśââď¸
đââď¸45 Simple Ways To Move More Each Day! đŞ
Regular movement is incredibly beneficial to our overall health and is associated with maintaining a healthy weight, improving cognitive function, and reducing our risk of developing chronic diseases.
And the more we move, the better.
The fact is, one hour a day at the gym isnât enough. When it comes to overall health and longevity, we need to move regularly. We canât offset 23 hours of not moving with one hour of movingâit doesnât matter how intense that gym session is.
The key is to actively look for ways to regularly integrate more movement into our daily activities.
Once you start incorporating more movement into your daily routine, it wonât take long for you to get hooked. Youâll start to wonder why you ever parked so close to the store or took the escalator up or down one story at the airport.
To get you started, here are 45 ideas to add more movement to your day.
1. Stretch for 5 minutes when you get up and 5 minutes before you go to bed.
2. If youâre going somewhere within a mile or two of your house, walk instead of drive. If itâs within 3-4 miles, ride your bike.
3. Ditch the elevator and take the stairs. At the airport, use the regular old stairs, not the escalator (and definitely not the travelators!).
4. Park at the far end of the parking lot, or better yet, park a block or two away.
5. Never sit when talking on the phone. If youâre on the phone you should be walking.
6. Donât do meetings at work in the conference room. Get outside and do walking meetings. (Bonus â walking meetings are probably more productive too!)
7. Got a dog? Commit to walking them for at least 15 minutes twice a day.
8. Donât be afraid of cleaning the house. Household chores are excellent forms of regular movement!
9. Donât avoid uneven surfaces. Sidewalks are convenient, but your body would love to get off the beaten path now and then.
10. Use a push mower instead of a power mower.
11. If it snows, get outside and shovel. Even if it only snows an inch.
12. Save money and wash your car at home by hand.
13. Do your own yard work.
14. Donât sit to put on your socks. Instead, try standing on one leg as you put your sock on the opposite foot.
15. When you get together with friends, donât do the usual dinner or drinks. Try something more active like tennis, golf, or trying out a yoga class.
16. If youâre in the same building or house, donât text or email. Get up, walk to where the other person is, and connect face-to-face.
17. Set a timer to remind yourself to get up and move for 5 minutes every hour.
18. Volunteer to be the one who changes out the water jug or carries in the heavy delivery at work.
19. Alternate between sitting and standing at your desk throughout the day.
20. Swap out the desk chair for an exercise ball.
21. Still watching TV with ads? Do push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, or burpees during commercial breaks.
22. Whenever weather permits, get outside and play.
23. If youâre waiting for your kid to finish sports practice, use that as an excuse to move by walking around the field a few times while you wait.
24. Get involved in an active hobby like disc golf, hiking, or geocaching.
25. Have more sex.
26. Enjoy meditation? Try active forms like Tai Chi, Qi Gong, or yoga.
27. Stay active through volunteering. Run/walk events, helping out with community gardens, and pitching in on clean-up days give you an opportunity to help your local community and move more.
28. Deep clean something. Anything.
29. When walking around the house, toss in the occasional lunging steps.
30. Sit on the floor when youâre watching TV, folding the laundry, or hanging with the dog or your kids. Itâs less comfortable than a chair, which will cause you to move around more often.
31. Hula hoop.
32. Whenever youâre sitting or lying down, try different ways to stand up.
33. Try walking up stairs differentlyâwalk sideways, skip a step, etc. (Just be careful and safe!)
34. Jump more.
35. Climb more. (Your inner 8-year-old is crying out to climb a tree again!)
36. Practice balance whenever you can. Stay on painted lines, cracks in the sidewalk, curbs, etc.
37. Go barefoot as much as you can.
38. Get the Animal Moves card deck and randomly grab a couple of cards throughout the day and do those moves.
39. Jump rope.
40. If youâre only getting a few things at the grocery store, use a handheld basket, not a cart.
41. No more drive-thrus. You really want that coffee at Starbucks? Park (on the far end of the parking lot) and walk in to get it.
42. Reading or studying? Walk (carefully) around the house or hit the stationary bike while you do it. (This can also help you better retain what youâre reading.)
43. Drink more water. Not only will this help keep you hydrated, it will get you up more often to hit the bathroom.
44. Been sitting all day at work, but want to relax in a nice warm bath? Take a shower instead.
45. Swap out stationary board games at game night with games like hide and seek, kick the can, freeze tag, snowball fights, and other active classics.
Posted In:
Aging Gracefully
Brain & Mental Health
