How to Move More in 2016
There’s one small and easy change you can
make in your life to improve your overall health:
Get Moving!
There are a few popular New Year’s resolutions that many people pledge to make a new part of their life: quit smoking, lose weight, save money, get organized and more.
Unfortunately, these resolutions usually don’t last. An estimated 40 percent of Americans make New Year’s resolutions, but only 8 percent of people achieve their New Year’s goals. That’s likely due to people making a huge bucket list or trying to make extreme changes – too many goals or too drastic of a change can leave you doomed to drop your resolution.
If health and fitness are on your mind for a resolution in 2016, there’s one small and easy change you can make in your life to improve your overall health: move more.
Research has found that leading a sedentary lifestyle raises your risk of obesity as well as increasing your risk of developing heart disease, diabetes and cancer. In fact, physical inactivity is the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality, causing 3.2 million deaths globally each year.
The human body isn’t designed to sit bent and scrunched up in a chair each and every day – it’s designed to move. Physical activity is a key part of being a healthy individual, which is why resolving to move more in the New Year can improve all aspects of your health. Adding more movement into your daily routine doesn’t have to be difficult, drastic or even require you to sign up for a gym membership.
Here are simple ways you can move more in 2016.
Move More at Work
If you have a desk job, it’s easy to sit for hours plugging away on your work without getting up. Break up your day by setting a timer to go off every 30 or 60 minutes. When the timer goes off, take a walk, use the bathroom, or head to the water cooler to fill up your water bottle. If you get an hour for a lunch break, use some of that time to take a walk instead of eating and sitting for the rest of the break.
On a conference call? Instead of sitting for the duration of the call, stand up and walk around. Similarly, if you have a question for a co-worker, skip instant messages and emails – walk to their desk and ask them. If you live close to the office, turn your commute into a workout by cycling, jogging or walking to work.
Move More at Home
First and foremost, cut back on TV. Most people watch an average of 5 hours of TV each day, usually while sitting on a couch. Try limiting yourself to two or fewer hours of TV per day and use the extra time you’re not watching shows to exercise or do chores around the house. Better yet, use the commercial breaks to do jumping jacks or jog in place, stretch, jump rope or just simply march in place.
When it comes time for your household chores, turn on some upbeat music and try to race against the clock to finish them. Scrubbing, wiping, dusting or vacuuming faster is likely to cause you to get your heart pumping and break a sweat.
Move More Everywhere Else
Anytime you drive somewhere and park, chose a parking space farther away from the front door to force yourself to take more steps to get where you’re going. Once you’re inside, skip the elevator or escalator – take the stairs to fit in extra steps and maybe even get your heart pumping a little faster.
Try wearing a fitness tracker. It will help you become aware of how much you’re moving each day and even inspire you to walk a little further or move a little more to hit 10,000 steps per day. Simply walk faster. Picking up the pace, even if you’re just walking to your car, will help you burn more calories and strengthen your legs.
