Are you trying to figure out how to become more active? Do your daily activities require you to be sedentary for a long time?
There’s no problem with having a good long sit, but you owe it to your overall health to give your body and mind a break – get your blood pumping, breathe fresh air, and give your eyes something new. Below are five tips to spice up your routine and get you moving.
1. Try New Sports
A new position working from home, or maybe just a lot of late nights might leave you less active than you once were, and you might find yourself missing the old rhythm.
That’s why it’s good to experiment with new activities. Give your body something new by swinging by a park for a little stroll on your way home, or check out an early-morning exercise group (virtual meets count too!).
Or, maybe the sick season knocked you off your golfer’s pedestal. Get back in the game by freshening up your gear. For example, add some drivers for high handicappers to your golf bag to jumpstart a new streak and experiment with something new.
2. Go Outside
We get it – just getting outside is sometimes harder than it sounds. The crazy commute, back-to-back Zoom meetings, or just the lack of a pretty green space close to home. There are plenty of good excuses.
But it’s true that just a tiny bit of outside time can do a lot of good for our mental health and can really rack up those daily steps. Think small: crack your window for some fresh air while you make your toast, leave for work five minutes earlier to see the sunrise, and eat your supper on the porch.
3. Add More Steps to Your Daily Activities
We all know that adding more steps to what we do means fewer doctor visits. But don’t get caught in actual steps. The point is movement. Give your body a chance to move by dancing to some music while you meal prep, rolling out of bed onto your mat for a few toe-touches, and jumping out to wash your windshield and the gas station to pack even a few more movements in.
4. Take Breaks
Sometimes, our daily obligations prevent us from getting up and moving around. For the sake of your mental and physical health, rearrange your priorities and take breaks that offer your body a new position and a new view.
Get up for a coffee refill and water the houseplants. Go get the mail or sweep the welcome mat. At the wheel all day? Put on a weird podcast to get your imagination going.
5. Follow Inspiring People
Getting more active is simple, but staying that way is another story. If you don’t change your mindset, you’ll never change your ways. Focus on making small changes as often as you can.
One way to introduce new thought patterns is by giving them to yourself through the habits that you already have. Scrolling Insta or Twitter during lunch? Fine – follow some chronic travelers or people with accounts that show their outdoor lifestyles. Looking at photos of nature, explorable corner cafés, and the active trends of others is one way to get your mind on movement too.
Final Thoughts
Getting moving is a lot harder than making a New Year’s resolution – it means changing the way you think! Start with these 5 tips and integrate one into your routine just once a week or once per day. Choosing to move takes a mentality set on moving. Good luck!