5 Ways to Move More During the Day

T he CDC recommends that an average adult should try to walk at least 10,000 steps a day. However, most adults find it difficult to fit that in their schedules given how busy people are becoming, so here are 5 ways to move more during the day.

Keeping your body sedentary most of the time and staying inactive leads to a lot of muscle complications, body pains, and multiple health issues. But you may find that due to your job shift timings you can’t go to the gym, or maybe you’re a full-time mother with a baby that doesn’t give you any time to be away from them.

So, how can you be more active?

1. Drink Lots of Water

Does this one seem too easy to be true? Well, it’s not. If you put on hourly or half-hourly alarms to drink water, you will be getting up multiple times a day just to get yourself water or to refill your water bottle. As a result of drinking a lot of water, you will also get up to use the washroom a lot too, and that’s extra exercise!

Furthermore, this is a great way to stay hydrated and to make sure that you are drinking enough water, which most adults forget to do when they are engulfed in their work.

2. Get a Standing Desk

Most jobs, especially home-based jobs or remote jobs, require you to sit long and tedious hours at a desk. This often leads to a lot of back and shoulder pain.

A standing desk often has space for you to sit too, so don’t think you’re supposed to keep standing all the time as you work. It’s best to involve around two to four hours of standing per eight to ten hours of work, maybe more or maybe less depending on what your body feels. Standing will often make you move in multiple ways beyond just standing. But listen to your body! If you feel fatigued, don’t overdo it.

3. Incorporate More Physical Intimacy

One of the most calorie-intensive activities you can do is be physically intimate with your partner. It makes your heart rate super fast depending on what you’re doing and how you’re doing it, and it uses multiple different muscles in your body.

It’s not the perfect replacement for a full-body workout, but it’s much better than lying idle.

4. Change the Way You Commute

If you drive, try biking instead. Driving a car burns around 150-250 calories per hour while cycling burns around 550-650 calories per hour. Cycling is a great leg workout and a great way to move more during the day. It can also protect you from serious diseases such as having a stroke or a heart attack. Also, if you cycle instead of drive, you decrease your personal carbon footprint by a considerable amount.

If you use public transport such as the bus, stand instead of sitting to burn calories. If you’re tired you don’t have to do this your entire route, but try to do it for half or quarter of your route, since there’s nothing else you can possibly do during this time.

5. Dance While You Do Your Chores

This is pretty simple, and a lot of fun. Dancing has the ability to turn mundane and boring everyday tasks into fun activities that you actually look forward to. This is also a great time to explore new music if you’ve been wanting to diversify your taste and never knew when to start.

All you have to do is not stand still as you do your laundry, your dishes, or are vacuuming. Move around to the beat of a song and watch your mood be elevated as you burn calories in a fun way! Dancing has multiple benefits, both mental and physical, and one of the best parts about it is that there’s no perfect way to do it. If it makes you happy, and if that’s how you groove, do it!

Listen to Your Body, Don’t Overdo It

While it is very important to be physically active, it is also important to be mindful of the goals you have. If you fear you may be delving into dangerous territory wherein you force your body to be active even if you are tired, or if you use extra exercise to lose weight beyond a healthy margin, consult a medical professional for help.

If you’re looking to just be more active, hopefully, these 5 ways to move more during the way have helped.

• This post is tagged in:

• health
• Exercise
• walking
• cycling
• dancing
• standing
• healthcare