Do you sit too much during the day? If so you should seriously consider getting up and keep moving more frequently throughout the day. Regular movement will increase your energy levels, support a healthy heart, and sharpen your mind. You need only make a few small changes to result in large improvements in your health and life.
Why It Is Important to Keep Moving
Your heart is like a car engine that needs constant care. When you make it a habit of moving regularly throughout the day you benefit from healthier blood pressure and blood flow. Spending too much time seated is like a car that hasn’t run in a while. By moving more regularly you ease the strain on your cardiovascular system and relieves stress on your heart. In addition, movement decreases your chance of gaining weight and makes you feel less sluggish, improving your overall well being.
Benefits Beyond Heart Health
People tend to put focus on the benefits to your heart with an active lifestyle. Of course there are other benefits that should be mentioned:
- Boosts Your Mood
- Movement creates endorphins, which help you feel better and less stressed out
- Walking or light jogging, calms the mind and gives one a a sense of accomplishment.
- Improves Joint Flexibility
- Moving regularly protects joints by increasing the flow of lubricating fluid (synovial fluid) [1].
- By strengthening the muscles around problem areas you can help avoid stiffness and decrease the risk of injury.
- Increases Brain Power
- Short walks done frequently or even quick stretches and improve your focus.
- Regular activity encourages steady blood flow which in turn helps provide clearer thinking. This helps you take on tasks with more enthusiasm.
DID YOU KNOW?Sedentary behavior – performing activities when sitting or lying is associated with increased risk of mortality, cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes [2]. |
Rise of Smart Devices
The rising use of smartwatches and fitness trackers have shown the demand for tracking our movement. Along with track movement they (including your phone) can prompt you to stand, stretch and walk when you’ve been sitting too long. With these notifications you are easily reminded to add regular movement to your day, which is a great trigger to reinforce healthy habits.
Try Out a Desk Treadmills or Work Bike
An interesting way to get sufficient physical movement or activity has come from exercising at your desk with the help of a desk treadmill or work bike. I’ve even seen people with a foot pedal that fits beneath the desk and is used while sitting. These are designed for low-impact movement allowing you to remain focused on your tasks without breaking into a heavy sweat. I’ve even heard it is possible to get used to using these while typing. This mild exercise provides for better heart health and keeps joints flexible while avoiding the stiffness caused by sitting for a long time. In addition, the steady movement of walking or pedaling boosts the mood throughout the workday.
Why Not Get a Standing Desk?
It seems to be popular nowadays to switch out your office chair for a standing desk in order to avoid the risks of sitting all day. Standing is definitely an upgrade, in terms of your health, from sitting. It encourages small movements as you shift your weight from foot to foot and may be better for back posture as you aren’t as likely to slouch while standing as you did with sitting. However standing for a long time can lead to sore feet, legs and lower back aches.
Standing desks that adjust to sitting position may be enough to ease this stress. Alternatively a standing foam mat may help as well. Regardless, it is still important to add more pronounced movement into your daily schedule. Also, it isn’t at all clear that a standing desk is beneficial for weight loss where regular movement throughout the day certainly can help [3].
8 Simple Ways to Keep Moving Throughout Your Day
It isn’t as difficult to find ways to add movement to your day where most of your day involves sitting at a desk. Try some (or all) of these suggestions:
Stand Up Every Hour
Use an alarm, a phone reminder, or a device notification to remind you to take a brief standing break.
Stretch at Your Desk
Roll your shoulders, rotate you upper torso from side to side and then slide your chair out a bit and bend to touch your toes to loosen tense muscles.
Walk While on the Phone
Take calls while you walk to combine movement with daily tasks. Make sure to use headphones and be conscious of others when talking.
Park Farther Away
Park at the most distant spot in the parking lot to get in a few extra steps each day.
Take a Walk At Lunchtime
Most people take between 45 minutes to an hour for a lunch break while it usually takes only 10 – 15 minutes to eat. Use the rest of the time to take a walk. If you need to catch up with colleagues, invite them to join you for a walking meeting.
Do 10 Pushups a few times a day
While this may be difficult to do if you wear a suit or if it would be frowned upon at the office, as an alternative you can simply stand away from a wall, lean into the wall and then push off from the wall as you would with a full push up.
Use Resistance Bands
Exercise bands are small and can be used to help build or tone muscle. It is easy to wrap these below your chair for overhead presses or behind your chair for chest presses.
Get a Dog, Take a Walk
If you have difficulty getting exercise and need an excuse to go for a walk, why not buy a dog. With a dog you have the best excuse. Also, depending on the size of the dog, you may find yourself jogging as much as walking.
These approaches to introduce movement to your day may seem small but can make a huge difference when repeated regularly throughout the day, everyday. They can also fit well into your workday routine.
Conclusion – Keep Moving
Choosing to keep moving is one of the best decisions you can make for your physical and mental health. By getting up from your chair, taking short walks, and paying attention to alerts from fitness trackers, you protect your heart from stress and keep your joints healthy. Plus, you gain mental clarity and improve your mood at the same time. No matter when you start, small regular progress is possible if you continually move every day. Step into an active routine today, and benefit from a future where your heart, mind, and body can stay active.
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