I know a lot of you workout, and that’s AWESOME! Keep it UP! But, is it enough to stay healthy and maintain our weight loss efforts? Because we are literally sitting ourselves to death, due to the comforts & conveniences of our current society.
Time to Grab a Friend, GO OUTSIDE, Take A WALK, and ENJOY SOME NATURE! Join me for a FREE 7 Day Walking Challenge. For Details, CLICK HERE!
We have become sooo lazy here in the US. Other countries are way more active in general than we are, but we sit down any chance we get. What’s up with that? I find myself hunched over in a seated position way more than I would like to admit, too! But, I can do something about that and so can YOU!
I know that some of us have jobs that require us to sit in front of a computer for many hours throughout the day with minimal standing or walking, and this is NO BUENO! I’ve been doing a lot of research on this matter for awhile and am finding that sitting too much isn’t good for our health and decreases our ability to burn fat. Some researchers even say Sitting is the New Smoking of our generation.
I used to think that if I got my workout in, then that was all the movement that I needed to do for the day. Now granted, I am pretty active in my job as a trainer/group x teacher because I am walking around a lot, and moving to demonstrate various exercises.
However, I have work that has to be done at the computer, too, even more now because I decided to start online fitness coaching and a blog. I’m really enjoying that process, but it has caused me to become a little more inactive, which I don’t like.
There was a great article in Huffington Post regarding the dangers of sitting and how we can incorporate more movement in general. You can read it HERE.
The DANGERS of Sitting TOO MUCH:
- Neck, Shoulder, and Spine Stiffness and Pain.
- Decreased Lung Capacity.
- Muscle Deteriation
- Fluid Retention in the legs and feet
- Risk for Blod Clots increase
- Decrease in certain enzymes that help us BURN FAT <======= I don’t know about you, but that’s enough to make me get my butt in gear and start moving more!
What can we do about it?
A typical 1 hour gym workout only gives you about 2-3000 steps (unless you’re out running)/day. We’re suppose to get closer to 10,000 steps/day to reap the health & sustainable weight loss benefits of exercise. So, it would appear that we have to start increasing our movement outside of our structured exercise sessions. We can’t workout for hours a day, but we can increase the amount of movement we do. Here are some tips, & my favorite one and the most easy to incorporate is #1 on the list below!
Leisure Walking. Get out and take a walk at your lunch break or when you get home from work. This also reduces stress. I’ve been working on incorporating at least 1+ hours daily of leisure walking. I don’t do that all at once, sometimes its broken up into a couple of sets of 30 min or so.
>>>> WALK IT OUT: A FREE 7 Day Walking Challenge. Get Details Here <<<<
Play games with your kids. They don’t need to play video games, be at the computer, or watch that much TV, either. Go get active together.
Park further away at malls, grocery, and department stores. Don’t worry about carrying heavy bags back to the car, either, that’s called a Farmer’s Carry and will make you stronger in the long run, too!
Yard Work. Make a flower or vegetable garden, pull weeds, or mow the grass.
Leisure Bike Rides. Instead of driving a short distance, think about riding a bicycle. This is also an awesome activity to do together as a family.
Housework. Laundry, vacuuming, dusting, cleaning, changing bed sheets, etc. I know this isn’t glamorous, but it counts as extra movement.
Set timers at work or home every 30 min & get up. Just get up and stretch, do an interpretive dance, do 20 Jumping Jacks or Squats, or just move around a little bit. At work sometimes, every hour or 2, I will get up and go do 100 Jump Ropes.
Yoga, Pilates, or Tai Chi Classes. I know that some Pilates and Yoga classes can be pretty strenuous and considered an exercise session. I’m referring to the more restorative and gentle versions of these classes.
Did somebody say Dance Party? You always have a couple of minutes to get up and dance to one of your favorite Jams for a couple of minutes!
Our ancestors probably walked close to 5-15 miles per day. <=== Are you doing that? I’m sure not, but I’m going to work on getting more movement in everyday besides just my workout to improve my overall health, reduce stress, increase my fat burning capacity, and to keep my spine healthy.
Be Mindful of your Movement! Where could you move a little more outside of your structured exercise session? Could you start taking a 30 min leisure walk every day? Ride your bike? What ideas do you have?
** To improve my own compliance with this, I’ve created WALK IT OUT: A FREE 7 Day Walking Challenge. If you’re in, CLICK HERE to sign up, so I can check in with you, and keep you ACCOUNTABLE! We can DO THIS TOGETHER!**
Thanks for stopping by,
Tommie
You’re the best, Tommie!
I have a standing desk at work now, and it helps to minimize the time spent sitting. All of your suggestions are great, and I’m going to give them a try.
Awesome, a standing desk. I hear that people really like those and that they help with back pain. Thanks for reading and I’m glad you found the info helpful.
You are so right. My Doctor told me the same thing. Great article and suggestions.
Great ideas. We walk our dog at least once a day but I’m thinking a short walk after dinner will motivate us to get the dishes done and get moving outside and not just veg on the couch all evening. We might even sleep better! Less wine and more water consumed as well!
YAS! I like the way you’re thinking.