3 ways to sneak in extra movement throughout the day

3 ways to sneak in movement throughout the day

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​*pro-tip: save this post for reference later!*

Let go of that “all or nothing” mentality.  Routines, access to gyms and equipment, stress levels—all have changed.  You may feel frustrated with these changes, and overwhelmed trying to balance this new (temporary) normal.  This is totally normal, and does not make you bad or broken or wrong.

Daily movement helps boost our immunity, makes us feel good, and can actually help maintain some fitness.

Knowing movement is important is one thing, but implementing it is another.  Some days you’re going to feel energized and motivated and crush your home workouts.  Some days you’ll barely be able to get off the couch.

I am sharing 3 tips to sneaking extra movement throughout your day, no matter what kind of day you’re having.

Tip 1: set a timer.
Have you ever looked up at the clock and realized you haven’t moved all day? It can be very easy to be in one position all day—sitting at our desks, kitchen tables, or couches.  One easy way to get some movement in and break up sitting in the same position is to set a timer for movement.  Try every setting a timer for 30 minutes to move for 5, or every hour to move for 10.  Movement can be as simple as taking a lap around your house or walk outside, or stretching, or getting a set of push-ups or squats in. The point is to move for that five or 10 minutes. By the end of a 8- hour typical work day, you will have accumulated about 80 minutes of movement.

Tip 2: switch sitting for standing.
Are there tasks you can do standing? Could you put your work laptop on your kitchen counter for an hour and work standing up? Or maybe watch a TV show in a squat or stretching in a pigeon? It’s a good idea to break up all that sitting that we’re doing with some standing, but we don’t want to just stand in one spot all day.

Tip 3: pair tasks.
I think I got this tip from Gretchen Rubin, author of The Happiness Project. This tip involves pairing something that you love with movement. For example, if you love true crime podcasts, try pairing them with walking. This means you can only listen to those podcasts while you walk. You may find yourself walking more or longer to listen to those podcasts. Or if you love reading magazines, maybe pair those for when you’re sitting on a stationary bike, or stretching. Find something that you enjoy and pair it with movement.

Share in the comments below: what tips do you use to sneak movement in throughout the day?