This might be tough to hear: Workouts don’t necessarily make up for the 8+ hours you spend sitting the rest of the day. Squeezing in additional physical activity throughout the day can further increase energy, reduce risk for illness and support your gym workouts.
Physical activity is defined as any body movement done by the skeletal muscles that expends energy. According to the World Health Organization, physical activity is not to be confused with exercise. It includes exercise but it also includes activity that is done through playing, working, active transportation, chores and recreational activities.1
Since both exercise and physical activity support stronger bones, the cardiovascular system, muscles, immune system and mental health, it’s worth getting in both your gym workouts and additional movement throughout the day. Just make sure to stay hydrated! Reach for Collagen Water™ to reach those hydration goals while clocking in physical activity.
Here’s how to turn the 24 hours in your day into a movement mindset.
Walk to:
- Work
- Grocery store
- A friend’s house
- Around the airport while you wait for a flight
- The dog park
Take the stairs:
- Up to your office
- To your apartment
- To public transportation
- Around the mall
- To your hotel room
Carry:
- Your child instead of using a stroller
- Groceries
- Luggage into the taxi
- Your dog to the dog store
- Items you’d like to set in a box to take to a donation center
Stand:
- On the subway or bus
- While you’re working at your desk
- Eating alone
- At parties or networking events
- During a concert, show or sporting event; or while you wait for it to start
Other ways to add activity:
- Squats while brushing your teeth
- Crunches while holding your child
- Calf raises in the elevator
- Go dancing
- Play with bean bags with friends
- Axe throwing at a local axe throwing facility
- Hit golf balls
- Shoulder rolls while waiting for your food to cook
- Bowling
- Bring one piece of dirty laundry to the washer at a time
- Shovel the sidewalk
Wake up and imagine the next 24 hours as a playground of opportunity to move and to end the day with a quality night’s sleep. Getting physical activity from both exercise and additional movement throughout the day can change the mindset from meeting the status quo of health to exceeding it.
1 –Physical Activity. (2019). Retrieved 27 September 2019, from https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en/