5 Creative Ways to Add Movement to Your Day
While making a regular commitment to your workouts at Curves is imperative (and should be applauded), there’s another piece of the equation that should not be overlooked. Prolonged periods of sitting and lack of activity throughout the day have been identified as major risk factors for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes.
The good news is, any way you move more during the day from the countless trips you take up and down the stairs lugging a laundry basket, to a mid-morning walkabout at the office is movement-gold when it comes to meeting the requirements for daily activity. If moving more is a wellness habit you need to cultivate, here are five creative ways to frame your day with activity and practical tips for making it happen.
Hit the ground walking!
Morning exercise, even something as simple as a 10-minute walk, can be the perfect catalyst for a productive day. Movement is a powerful metaphor for things we value in life such as productivity, confidence, and standing strong when our day takes an unexpected turn.
Make it happen: Drop the kids off at school or put your things down at your desk and head out for a short, mindful walk. Take deep breaths, set a positive intention, then stride confidently into the day ahead.
Take back your chores
It’s trendy to encourage women to farm out routine tasks like cooking, cleaning, and walking the dogs to free up time to pursue life’s passions. But those seemingly mundane chores are perfect opportunities to practice health enhancing movement patterns such as bending, lifting, reaching, and rotating.
Make it happen: Activate your chores! Take the opportunity to incorporate some of your Curves exercises into your daily chores – such as lunges while vacuuming, squats while loading the dishes, or some overhead presses while hanging out the laundry!
Prompt yourself to move more
Movement can easily take a back seat to busy days and attention-consuming projects. Before activity becomes a habit, it’s important to have creative ways to prompt regular activity breaks.
Make it happen: Set yourself an alarm to remind you to get up and move – once an hour for five minutes will help to get your blood moving and assist with stiff/sore muscles at the end of the day.
Exercise at your desk
There’s no reason why you can’t get moving while you are working! People working in an office spend most of their day seated and stationary when there’s plenty of time to get moving without even leaving the desk.
Make it happen: Try some of our favorite exercises and stretches that you can do easily at your desk:
- Knee Hugger Stretch: Bend your knee and lift one leg up to your chest, wrap your arms around your knee and hold for 5-10 seconds and repeat on the other side.
- Chest Opener Stretch: Put your hands together behind your back and lock your fingers. Sit up straight and push your chest forward, keeping fingers linked and hold for 5-10 seconds.
- Calf Raises: In a seated position, firmly place the balls of your feet on the ground and raise your heels. Do 3 sets of 10. If you want a real burn – stand up behind your chair and do the same!
- Shoulder Press: Raise your fists to beside your shoulders and press up above your head. Do 3 sets of 10. To add more difficulty, try lifting a ream of paper!
- Seated Squats: From your chair, stand up and squat back into a seated position, making sure you squeeze your glutes! Hold on to your desk for balance if needed. Repeat 10 times. Easy!
Be the fun mom (or grandma)
Modeling an active lifestyle for our kids is one of the best life skills we can pass on to them. Playing together also fosters a close parental bond that can’t be achieved with a video game!
Make it happen: Resist the urge to sit on the sidelines while your kids play at the park. Instead, join in the action by spotting them on the slide or inviting their friends and other moms for an active game of tag.
Move to snooze
It’s tempting to finish the day with your feet up on the couch and a well-deserved glass of wine, but a better choice for a good night’s sleep is a few minutes of light activity.
Make it happen: Keep a yoga mat in your bedroom and roll it out just before bedtime. Do some light stretching, then put your feet up on the edge of the bed to promote relaxation and improve circulation.
The more we move the happier and healthier we feel. New habits don’t form without mindful effort. Why not make a commitment to activate your days with wellness enhancing movement? There’s no doubt it will be well worth your effort.
To find out more about how you can informed lifestyle and health choices, visit our blog under the ‘Live’ category! You can also learn more about how the Curves Circuit can benefit your lifestyle here.
