Experts share how you can keep moving with a busy schedule

by | Jul 5, 2017 | Article, Covid Sanity Pack, Workouts and Exercises.

I am honoured to have been included in this……what an inspirational group of fitness professionals! 🙂 The main take-away being “Make daily motion a “non negotiable”! We are all busy…but we are never too busy to MOVE” 🙂

1. Abby Corsun Sims

Those who sit too much and move too little develop a predisposition to a number of health issues. There are so many ways to ensure that a full workday doesn’t keep you from moving sufficiently.

These include:

Walk to and/or from the office when feasible, or walk the shorter segments of your commute, such as between the train stop and final destination.
Set your phone alarm (if necessary) to remind you to walk around the office at least a few times each day. It is good for your head, your eyes and your heart!
Use your lunch break, however brief it may be, to take a short walk. Even if you brown bag it. Go outside when you can for more of a mental break. Even ten minutes will kick-start your mood and energy.
Consider walking while talking for meetings now and then (at least for those that are are one-on-one) rather than convening at your desk or conference table.
Take the stairs rather than the escalator or elevator – at least some of the way up and down. When on escalators, walk them rather than making it a passive experience.
Consider an adjustable height desk at work so that you alternate sitting with standing. Spending some of your workday at a treadmill desk (walking no more than two mph while working) is a great option too (though not for every task).
When running errands, put some distance between your parking space and the store so that you get a short roundtrip walk in.
Find an exercise schedule and activities that work for you so that you stay fit and healthy. Once you learn to make time – and it doesn’t have to be a monumental commitment – the benefits will outweigh any desire you may have had to sacrifice your health by staying on the sidelines. Keep in mind that it is possible to get all the exercise you need without using equipment, attending a class or going to the gym.

2. Dr. Ginger Garner DPT, ATC, PYT

The first thing I would suggest would be to evaluate your own best accountability practices? What does this mean in plain speak? It means – how do you best stick to a fitness plan? For most people, seeing the numbers helps. One suggestion for those who say, “show me the money,” is to use a tracking app of some sort. iPhones have built in step counters, stair counters, which only require that you carry your phone with you as you move about during the day. Androids probably have something similar. For those who need more accountability, I would recommend the Streaks app (paid app) or MapMyRun (you don’t have to run of course, you can change the setting to walk). Each can help you track movement, but Streaks goes a step further and will help you track water intake, yoga, meditation, and up to 6 activities total of your choice. For those who need to put their phone down in order to be mindful and aware, a FitBit may work best, since it is just a wristwatch counter, which is more unobtrusive and less bulky than a smartphone. For those who don’t need to see the numbers, but need the support of real people instead of apps, try scheduling lunch breaks for early morning movement routines with friends, or in a class setting.

The overall message here is reflective of what science supports – that it’s the accumulation of total activity, instead of long, singular stretches of movement, that matter most. That means getting up throughout the day and taking mini-breaks rather than making the sometimes hated trek to the gym or treadmill for a solid hour. Instead take a break every hour and no more than every 90 minutes. The brain needs this break as well as the body – in order to maximize productivity. Climb a few flights of stairs in your office building or home office, take short walks around the block, or do a few sun salutations or yoga postures between conference calls (or even during if you can!) – anything to combat the new “sitting-is-as-bad-as-smoking” mantra in the medical world.

The last piece of advice I may give is to make sure you are practicing mindfulness in the movement you choose, and to vary your routine. Whether you walk, run, cross fit, zumba, kettlebell, surf, bike, or swim – make sure your movement is mindfully driven and diverse in order to build bone mass (biking and swimming do not because they aren’t a foot-to-ground activity) and to combat stress. Stress is a major risk factor in chronic pain and disease development and progression, as well as cancers, so it is incredibly important to consider movement that also includes the mind. Scientific studies overwhelmingly support that mindful movement is your best bet – think a walk or swim combined with a type of meditation that resonates with your spirituality or core values. Doing this will help preserve your DNA (which prevents premature aging), prevent expression of genetic material that causes chronic disease or cancer, help manage pain and depressive symptoms, and improve overall well-being and self-confidence.

3. Terri Batsakis

In today’s busy lifestyle it is easy to get bogged down with the daily grind and forget to move and focus on our health. However it doesn’t need to be complicated. I like to throw in some fun ways to move whilst getting through my daily routine.

Put on your favourite music whilst cooking and dance around the kitchen whilst preparing the next meal. Kick up your legs ‘Can-Can’ style whilst waiting for the kettle to boil when making a cup of tea. Hanging out the washing? Place your washing basket a couple of meters away from the line so you need to take a few extra steps between items. Avoid lifts wherever you can, opting for stairs, and finally, go for a walk whilst waiting for the kids to finish extra-curricular activities, rather than surfing the net. Every bit of movement counts, even if it isn’t prescribed exercise.

4. Tony Bonvechio

I’m of the belief that doing a little a lot is better than doing a lot a little, so carving out even just 10 minutes a day for exercise can be enough. Whether it’s going through a head-to-toe mobility routine, doing sprints outside or on a bike, or doing a few sets of heavy strength training like squats or deadlifts, that can often be enough to spark change, especially if you’re new to exercising. I like the idea of rotating through each goal each day, so you’re doing three days each of mobility training, sprints and lifting weights each week, then resting completely on the seventh day.

5. Kathleen Trotter

Adopt the mantra “daily motion is a non negotiable – a when not an if“. How you fit in the motion is what is up for debate.

Goal#1 – Make your goal to “sit less and move more”. Consider tracking your steps. First, you will have to figure out how many steps you take daily. Once you have figured it out, you can aim to increase the number of steps by a few hundred until you have reached 10,000 steps.

These are some of the simple ways to get to your goal:

During your lunch hour, consider taking a walk with a colleague
Get off your transportation vehicle a stop earlier and walk to where you are supposed to be
Park a few minutes away from the store or the destination and walk there
After dinner, you can take a walk with your partner
During the weekends, you can try walking to run your errands
Leave stuff in different parts or floors of the house so you are forced to walk in order to retrieve them

Goal#2 – It is also important to get your stretches or corrective postural exercises. You can do them at your desk, inside the car, on the sofa, or basically anywhere you are confined to sitting in one position. These stretches will reduce the negative effects that sitting have on your body. It also improves one’s quality of life.

Examples of such stretches or postures can be:

doing core exercises
stretching your legs and back when you are on your bed
using a door frame or anything sturdy to stretch your chest
take short breaks to stretch when you are sitting at your desk

6. Jennipher Walters

If you’ve got a full day of work and errands to do and want to make sure you’re moving enough, start by getting up just 10 minutes earlier than normal. With that extra 10 minutes, do a little stretching (or yoga if you know some poses) to wake up and then do a quick circuit — 10 jumping jacks, 10 push-ups, 10 squats, 10 sit-ups — three times through. Then go about your day, taking the stairs and parking farther away whenever possible. Also, get creative and see where you could be active more (walking to a co-workers desk instead of calling or standing while on the phone) and when you are walking, walk quickly. Once you get home, try doing some lunges while you wait for food to cook or even some calf raises while you’re brushing your teeth. Every little bit adds up! But starting with a good 10 minutes first thing, definitely puts your fitness fit — and sets a nice and healthy tone for the day.

Originally published at THEDIABETESCOUNCIL