Day 24- Small Steps

This challenge is of course meant to push us, but also to be realistic. And there is nothing more realistic than what we do day and in and day out. And coincidentally, what we do day in and day out, our daily patterns and habits, are what matter the most in terms of making changes and seeing the results we want.

One of the easiest ways to understand this is through something most of us can relate to, weight loss (or weight management). The truth is that exercising can certainly lead to gains in fitness and increased lean muscle mass, but that weight loss itself is much closely linked to what we eat and how much we move all day (not just for the hour or so a day we work out for). It’s no coincidence that obesity is so closely linked to sedentary lifestyles.

Studies have shown that people who set out to walk more throughout the day (take a longer route to work, take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.) had more success in long-terms weight loss and maintenance than people who joined a gym.

Although there are some things about our jobs and our daily patterns that we cannot completely control, there are many that we can. Standing stations are becoming more and more common, as are walking work meetings (you can even Skype through most smart phones now so you can walk and talk!). When I was in grad school we ran a clinical trial that had people wearing pedometers throughout the day, and just being aware of step count made people want to get up and move around more.

Other benefits of being more active throughout the day include more energy, more productivity, and less back pain and other muscles tightness or imbalances from siting.

A few weeks ago I started incorporating “dance” breaks into my longer periods, especially before lunch when everyone is hungry and getting tired. Basically we take five minutes to dance (everyone takes turns to pick a move) or do random aerobic exercises. I think I enjoy it more than my students but whatev, they are being active without even realizing it and we all feel more awake after.

What are some ways you can add more physical activity into your everyday life?