The Power of Everyday Movement: How Small Actions Can Boost Your Health
With spring in the air and pleasant weather on the horizon, it’s a great time of year to look to increase our activity levels.
Regular activity is vital to health due to its contribution to cardiovascular fitness, lean muscle mass and strength. However, “incidental movement” also plays a significant role in weight reduction and weight maintenance.
Incidental activity refers to the things we do throughout the day, beyond intentional exercise, that contribute to our daily energy expenditure. These activities can include housework, gardening, cooking or even just walking and fidgeting.
Why Incidental Activity Matters
- Burning Calories: Simple, frequent movements throughout your day add up. This can help with burning calories and support weight loss or weight management.
- Breaking Up Sitting: Moving a little more often helps reduce the negative effects of long periods of sitting, which can be harmful to your health.
- Boosting Mood and Energy: Even small increases in physical activity can improve your mood, energy levels, and overall well-being.
Easy Ways to Increase Incidental Activity This Spring
- Enjoy the Outdoors: Spring’s mild temperatures and blossoming scenery make it perfect for outdoor activities. Take advantage of the season by walking or cycling in your local park, gardening, or simply enjoying a leisurely stroll around your neighborhood.
- Choose Stairs Over Elevators: Whenever you can, take the stairs instead of the lift. This small change can increase your daily physical activity and strengthen your cardiovascular health.
- Exercise ‘Snacks’: Fit in short bursts of exercise throughout your day. For example, try standing up and sitting down repeatedly when you’re at the table for a meal, or do simple leg exercises while you brush your teeth or wait for the kettle to boil.
- Move During TV Breaks: Use ad breaks or pauses in your TV shows to get up and move. Try light exercises like stretching, walking in place, or doing a few jumping jacks.
- Walk Indoors: On those occasional rainy spring days, head to an indoor space like a shopping centre for a walk. This keeps you moving without needing to go outside.
- Active Office Habits: At work, use a desk that lets you switch between sitting and standing, set reminders to stand up and stretch or walk every hour, and drink plenty of water to encourage trips to the bathroom.
Bonus Tip:
If you struggle with motivation, this simple technique can have a surprising success rate…
When you feel like you should be exercising, but don’t feel up to it, just put on your exercise gear and walk to the end of your driveway. If you still don’t feel like exercising, you can go back inside, but you’ll be surprised how much easier it seems once you’ve taken that first step. You might find yourself walking to the end of the street or around the block before you know it. Just starting is often the hardest part.
Incorporating more incidental activity into your daily routine is a simple way to support weight reduction and weight maintenance. By making small changes and taking advantage of short bursts of movement, you can make a significant contribution to your health and overall well-being. Every little bit of movement helps, so find ways to stay active throughout your day!