Without a doubt the best Christmas gift I received this year was a fitness tracker, not least because I hadn’t realised before just how much I move on a daily basis. Now I’m very luck with my job in the sense that physical activity is an inherent aspect of my daily routine. On average I do 12000-15000 steps a day equating to 8-12km in distance covered and around 600 calories burned - this is before I do any of my own training sessions. Now while this much movement maybe trickier to accomplish if you have a desk job, there are still many way you can build more movement into your daily routine - Here are my top 5:
Reduce your inactive time - This might sound simple, but it’s something that often gets overlooked. People say to me all the time that they can’t find the time to exercise or prepare good quality food for that matter, but on further questioning will admit to spending at least 2 hours per day on their phone looking at social media or watching TV. With only 24 hours in a day it’s vital that you make the most of every single one, so start by replacing this inactivity with something physical instead. Ultimately it comes down to priorities and what matters to you - if it’s important then you will make time.
Go for a walk in your lunch break - 30 minutes of brisk walking will burn anything from 100-300 calories depending on your pace. Bearing in mind that to lose weight and burn fat you should be aiming for a 100-300 calorie deficit per day, this simple change could be the difference between achieving your goals or not.
Get a standing desk - Anatomically we were basically screwed when the chair was invented. Sitting down at a desk for 6-8 hours per day is both terrible for your posture and massively increases the amount of time you spend in a sedentary state. Standing instead of sitting for 6 hours of your working day can help you burn between 50-80 extra calories per day - see above what I mentioned about achieving your daily calorie deficit goal.
4. Take the stairs - As humans we have evolved to make our lives as easy as possible in order to preserve energy and resources. However, in the 20th century western world that we find ourselves in this innate compulsion is working against us because from a health and fitness perspective, life is now too easy. Taking the stairs instead of an escalator on your daily commute acts as a miniature HIIT workout by significantly increasing your heart rate, even if it’s only for a short period of 30 seconds or so.
5. Park in the furthest space from the shop - We’ve all been guilty of this and myself included, driving around the car park trying to find the closest possible space to the entrance, all for the sake of saving ourselves a 3 minute walk to the door. When it comes to physical activity every little counts.
By putting these 5 simple tips into practice you will go a long way to increasing your physical activity levels without having to join a gym, or go to an exercise class. Looking, feeling and performing better all starts with improving your daily habits and overall lifestyle quality, try to focus on what you spend the most time doing because this will have the biggest impact on your health. If you need any further help or assistance, please feel free to get in touch anytime.