Living an active lifestyle isn’t just about going to the gym for an hour a day. That’s a nice habit, but if you sit the rest of the time, it’s kind of pointless. What are you even getting in shape for?
Putting movement in your day takes practice, especially if you’re passing up the many opportunities you have to do it.
Stairs.
Seriously, people, unless you have an injury, one flight is not worth the elevator. At the airport, I take the stairs and I’m usually the only one on them. I get to the next floor faster than the people on the escalator (and I get in line ahead of them at customs!).
Parking spots.
You want to save time? Park the car and stop driving around in circles. I usually park in one of the first spots I come to, regardless of how empty the lot is. (Back when I had a car, that is. Now I just walk wherever I’m going if it’s within a couple miles.)
Cooking and prep work.
The modern kitchen is pretty seriously decked out these days, with gadgets designed to do every little task. I admit: I have a blender and I love it, but that’s only because you can’t chop anything into a smoothie. But I’m not outsourcing every gig to the electronics, and where you can really start to appreciate this is in cookie dough. I mix by hand, which is tiring. Which EXACTLY.
Walking as transportation.
Walking is my main mode of transport. Unless I’m in a hurry or needing to go more than a couple of miles, I walk.
Alone time.
Go a little nuts. If I’m by myself at home, I’ll get up to fill my water bottle, for example, and on the way across the room I’ll see if I remember that latest move I learned in rumba class. (It’s way less embarrassing in my living room.)
Chores.
I get on my hands and knees to scrub the kitchen floor. Look, I’m no fan of housekeeping, and at some point I’m going to hire someone for it, but until then, I commit. I’m going to get a little sweaty. It’s going to be a little uncomfortable. And I go for it. This applies to gardening, raking, mowing the lawn (no riding!), and shoveling snow. If you can and do hire someone to do this, that’s great and it frees up your time to do things that matter to you–something I’m a huge proponent of. However, if you ARE doing your own chores, embrace them as everyday fitness opportunities.
Get it yourself.
How many times do you say, “While you’re up, would you grab…?” Don’t ask for that favor. Just get up and do it. Offer to be the person who gets up when someone else wants something done.
A workout is great for building strength and stamina. But movement is life! We want spend a lot of time every day moving and loving it. How do you get the most movement in your day?