Simple tips to be more active

Due to the hectic and demanding times we live in, most of us spend most of the day in a passive way - for many of us it is difficult to find the time or energy for any training at all, and this of course brings with it various risks.

We know that a passive lifestyle is not good for our weight, but it is not good for our overall health either. The human body is simply meant to be on the move - every day. So today, let's take a look at some tips that can help you incorporate more movement into your daily routine and do something for your health, promote fat reduction or maintain a healthy weight, and of course, live a happier life.

Article content:

• Take the stairs instead of the elevator!
• Work meeting or phone meeting? Go for a walk!
• Don't you feel like going to the gym after work? Start your day with it!
• Get a big ball for your office
• Park your car further away from the entrance or get off the tram a few stops early
• Get a pet
• Don't feel like going to the gym after work? Work out at home in front of the TV!
• Find a partner to move around with
• Indulge in love games
• Housework counts too!
• Try new sports

Take the stairs instead of the elevator!

Taking the stairs is a great way to build leg and butt muscles, so why not take advantage of it at every possible moment? Do you have an office on a higher floor of a building and only ever take the elevator up there? Every movement counts, so how about trying to walk up those few stairs every morning. Do you often cross to see colleagues from higher or lower floors? Take the opportunity to stretch a little, leave the elevator and take the stairs instead.

You will stretch your body from permanent sitting, engage your leg muscles and oxygenate your brain. Of course, the same goes for those of us who live in apartments - if you're not dragging out the weekly shop, walk out to your apartment. You can apply this simple hack for getting more exercise pretty much anywhere - instead of escalators and elevators, simply choose to walk.

Work meeting or phone meeting? Go for a walk!

Have you ever thought that taking a walk with colleagues or having a telephone meeting in your headphones is a very hilarious way to combine the pleasant with the useful? You'll get everything you need done, get some fresh air in your lungs, which will boost productivity, brain activity, memory, ensure you're in a good mood, get some of that vitamin D, stretch your body and get some rest from sitting at your desk. Of course - not all meetings and appointments can be handled this way, but when the situation allows it, it's a great shame not to take advantage of it! Send your colleagues a presentation for the meeting a few days earlier and plan to discuss the important points during a walk together, which you can also finish with a good coffee or lunch in the garden.

Don't you feel like going to sports after work? Start your day with it!

If you know that your work responsibilities are exhausting you so much that you can't bring yourself to go to sports after work, try to enjoy the activity before work! Not only will you be happy because you'll be doing something for your health and body, but sport in the morning is a great way to get a good start, get you in the right frame of mind and ensure you're in a good mood and have plenty of energy for whatever the day has in store. Get up a few minutes earlier, have a good breakfast and go for a run, hit the gym, or do half an hour of morning yoga at home in your living room or even on your balcony. Your body and mind will appreciate this morning start. And you're not a morning person? It doesn't matter at all - start slowly building a new habit and you'll see that you'll get used to that great feeling after your morning sport and can't imagine functioning without it.

Get a big ball for your office

Another way to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine and do something for your health is to get a large exercise ball and use it in the office from time to time instead of a chair, or for a short back stretch. Sitting on the ball will engage your muscles, relieve your back, and strengthen your midsection thanks to the need to balance. Be careful, however, that you shouldn't sit on the ball all day - this could have a quite negative effect and your back could start to bother you. However, you can do a short neck stretch on the ball during working hours, do a back crunch, or perhaps do a stomach workout (unless you go to work in a suit, of course :))).

Park your car further away from the entrance or get off the tram a few stops early

Do you drive everywhere or does the bus or other transport stop right outside your work, school or house? How about getting off a few stops earlier and walking the rest of the way? It's already beautiful outside and a short morning walk before a busy day will benefit your body and mind, put you in a good mood and boost your productivity. And the same goes for the journey home - have you had a busy day spent mostly on the computer? There's nothing better than getting some fresh air, some energy from the sun and some vitamin D. Do you drive to work? You still don't have to park right outside your front door, but feel free to walk a few blocks away and take a short walk to work. Seriously try it - your days will be much more productive and happy!

Get a pet

If you need motivation to move more, getting a pet - ideally a dog, as you won't get much exercise with fish. A dog will drag you out of bed every morning and take you out for a walk at least three times a day. That's 3 x 20 minutes minimum = an hour of exercise in the air per day and you've won!

Don't feel like going to the gym after work? Work out at home in front of the TV!

Instead of sitting on the couch watching the news or your favourite TV shows, you can do some awesome HIIT, abs, yoga or weight training at home. If you've got a treadmill or a belt at home, you can use your time watching your favourite shows effectively and get fit. If you're lacking inspiration on how to actually move, find a workout on YouTube, do some dancing or if you have a games console at home, feel free to play a movement game.

Find a movement buddy

If you're struggling to talk yourself into a sport, find a sparring partner - whether you go to the gym together, skate, run, play volleyball or even tennis. It's a well-known fact that two people get along better, and if you know you're lacking commitment, a movement partner can be a great way to overcome this. As well as motivating, supporting and challenging each other, exercising for two is what gets many people to exercise in the first place, because they are motivated by the fact that they have promised someone they will play sport.

Indulge in love games

Yes, we can't leave this one out either. Regular sexual activity is important for overall health, and although it's not the primary goal (or shouldn't be!), you can burn a fair amount of calories while making love. The amount depends on how long you have sex, in what positions and how active you are during sex. Unlike treadmill running, sex is everyone's favourite activity, so challenge your partner to a few minutes of pleasurable cardio at least once a day. But keep in mind that lovemaking is about more important things than calories burned - we recommend focusing more on relaxation, flushing out stress hormones, and having a great time with someone you love. Regular sexual activity will make you happier, more productive and healthier - which is also a good foundation for a beautiful and happy body.

Chores count too!

You can also burn a lot of calories doing ordinary household chores, both indoor chores like cleaning, vacuuming, dusting, etc., and yard work like mowing the grass, planting flowers or digging. We probably won't quite compare it to running or working out at the gym, but even these ordinary, basically inconspicuous activities count. You'll really sweat when you're cleaning your house and you'll sweat when you're working in the garden.

If you spend the weekend working in the garden, you'll combine the pleasant with the useful - besides the calories burned, you'll also switch off your mind, spend a lot of time in the fresh air, get some vitamin D, maybe even catch some bronze and relax after a hard week. Plus, you'll have the satisfaction of a job well done, and that counts too, of course!

Try new sports

Do you struggle to get moving because you can't find an activity you enjoy regularly? Never mind, keep looking! The warm weather favours outdoor sports, so try different activities and discover new ones. Take to the inline skates, the bike, try a scooter, a run or a workout session. Go for a swim, challenge your friends to a netball or volleyball tournament or plan a family hiking trip.

Being active is definitely not just about going to the gym. On the contrary. It's great to rotate activities regularly, load the body from different angles, give it different stimuli, teach it new things, develop it and of course - movement should be primarily fun and varied activity is a great way to achieve this.

What to take away from the article?

If you are part of the population that spends most of the day being passive and have trouble fitting activity into your routine, we hope you found today's article useful and provided you with enough inspiration to be a little more active during the day to support your overall health. Go for walks more often, find a movement buddy, ditch your daily routine and start your day with activity, or schedule a big house cleaning. There are plenty of ways to move more and combine the pleasant with the useful!

Sources:

Craft, L. L., & Perna, F. M. (2004). the Benefits of Exercise for the Clinically Depressed. Primary care companion to the Journal of clinical psychiatry, 6(3), 104-111. https://doi.org/10.4088/pcc.v06n0301
Kerr, D.C. et al. (2015). Associations between vitamin D levels and depressive symptoms in healthy young adult women. Psychiatry Research, 227, 1, 46-51.
https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/a-prescription-for-better-health-go-alfresco
Eigenschenk, B., Thomann, A., McClure, M., Davies, L., Gregory, M., Dettweiler, U., & Inglés, E. (2019). Benefits of Outdoor Sports for Society. A Systematic Literature Review and Reflections on Evidence. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(6), 937. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16060937