Valentin Bosioc
We are living in a society where most jobs require us to sit on a desk all day and stare at a screen. But we all know that our body is not equipped to live with this lifestyle. Our bodies require physical activity on a daily basis to stay in shape, and lead a healthy, happy and stress-free life.
You might have come across people who don’t seem to be obsessed about fitness and gymming but still somehow maintain good health and shape.
The first thing to realize is that crash diets or skipping meals is not going to take you anywhere near an ideal figure or good health, rather it will only increase more cravings and make you eat more. If you somehow resist the urge to eat you will end up being cranky and fatigued all the time.
For a long term change, it is better to adapt habits that promote an active life and good eating habits as this is bound to keep you in shape without too much effort and for much longer. People who stay fit never limit physical activity to the gym only and they do all they can to be active in their normal everyday activities.
Below are some habits you need to incorporate in your daily life, that are not only easy to adapt but also show good results:
Take the Stairs
A very simple thing to keep yourself active after every few hours is to opt for stairs instead of an elevator. If you have to go up two floors or go down three floors or less, always take the stairs. If you have to go up several floors, walk the first few flights atleast and then take the elevator for the rest of the way.
Force yourself to choose stairs while remembering that this will positively affect your long term health. Start by aiming to take the stairs once a day, then work up until you get used to it. Get more people involved like your co-workers and make it a challenge to be active together. It’s easier and much long lasting when you’re doing it as a group.
Play with your kids or pets
Children love play time and especially if their parents are going to play with them. Utilize this opportunity to increase physical activity everyday. Children also need sports to use their energy productively. Games like Tag, kickball, leapfrog, jump rope, hopscotch and backyard races are all great ideas. Even riding a bike with your kids can make a huge difference if done regularly.
If you don’t have kids around, take your dog to a walk. Playing outside with your pets is another great way to find some exercise time.
Walk as much as you can
Just a simple thing like walking can turn out to be amazingly beneficial for your body. It can help you burn fat and lose weight. In addition to that, it can also improve cholesterol levels, strengthen bones, control blood pressure, improve your mood and lower the risk for many diseases (like diabetes and heart disease).
Avail every opportunity to get up from your desk at work. Instead of emailing or texting your colleagues, walk over to them and have a chat with them face to face. It all adds up and besides it will also give you better social interaction.
If you don’t get a long lunch break to have a walk, consider having walking conversations or meetings. Whenever you have to meet informally with co-workers, turn the meeting into a short walk.
Be creative when it comes to including walking in your day without interrupting your daily schedule by little things like parking your car farther away from the office, shopping mall or when you visit a restaurant.
You can also include your family by regularly going for a family walk after dinner. Let the kids ride their bikes or play sports while you can take a good long walk with your partner or spouse.
Home Chores
Household chores is something you have to do, so why not make all the trouble worth something fruitful by turning it into an aerobic workout?
You might have realized that a clean up session at home before a party makes you really tired, especially if you have a large home. Turn this into a regular chore and see what a great workout it can turn out to be.
Cleaning involves a great deal of walking, lifting, and stretching, all of which are extremely healthy for your body. Ditch the dishwasher and wash dishes by hand once in a while to burn a few extra calories.
Be creative in adding extra stretches here and there while cleaning up. For example, while vacuuming or dusting, add some extra walking lunges and speed up while you do it. When washing dishes, try to balance yourself by standing on one leg. These little exercises may seem insignificant but it all adds up in improving your fitness level.
Include more people
If you feel that family obligations or work load is taking away your time for regularly scheduled workouts, include them in group activities. Exercise doesn’t always have to be a drag. Make it an outing with your friends, family and coworkers. When you add more people to exercise, not only do you receive instant benefits of exercise, but you also get time well spent with friends to lighten up your mood after a long day.
Schedule family hikes, soccer games or better yet a family trip to the gym. Let your kids suggest creative activities to do together. This will also be beneficial for yours kids upbringing because when they observe that exercise is important to their parents, they will make it important for themselves too.
Include your co-workers and challenge each other to be active together. Be creative and start a friendly competition of who can walk the most in a day by tracking your steps. It’s always better when you have that support network there motivating and encouraging you.
By developing a ‘move more’ mindset you can easily stay active throughout the day and establish a healthy fulfilling lifestyle.
Author:
Amanda Bentley has 5 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry and currently works as a Content writer at Qavashop (www.qavashop.com). Qavashop.com is an online store for all the “coffee aficionados” located in the GCC. Apart from providing its customers with quality coffee machines and consumables, it also provides them with skilled, knowledgeable advice on how to make their own restaurant quality espresso at home.
