4 ways to add more movement to your routine

Moving is key to a healthy lifestyle. It's not just about meeting physical activity recommendations. Moving implies fighting against sedentary lifestyle. Adding more movement to your daily routine will bring you great benefits.

There are people who place great emphasis on their formal training routines. However, they spend many hours sitting at their desks or at their workstations. Exercise is certainly very healthy, but those benefits don't outweigh sitting for long hours.

Why should you add more movement to your routine?

Actively moving is a lot to exercise: it involves being active throughout the day. In this sense, there are side effects implicit in spending many hours in a row sitting, both on a cardiovascular and cerebral level.

A 2019 study found that 2 decades of sedentary lifestyle are associated with a 2 times higher risk of premature death compared to physical activity. The researchers emphasize that their findings imply that remaining physically active is necessary to obtain maximum health benefits.

Previously, a 2015 meta-analysis study had already found that prolonged sitting increases the risk of illness and premature death, regardless of exercise.

What's more, sitting for a long time is also not good for the brain. Along these lines, a 2018 study found that sedentary behavior is related to weight loss in brain regions that are critical for memory.

Read this: Risks of sedentary lifestyle for your brain

Ideas to add more movement to your routine

With the above in mind, the keys to adding more movement to the daily routine should not be based on formal physical activity. Instead, we must look for strategies that include getting up from the chair or couch.

1. Walk as much as you can

A good way to add more movement to your daily routine is to walk whenever possible. Leaving your car or getting off public transportation several blocks from your job can be effective measures. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator is another option.

Another way to walk a bit more is not to have the television remote handy. In this way, every time you want to raise or lower the volume or change the channel, you will have to get up.

Another trick that can be very useful for walking more is on your mobile. Every time you consult it for leisure reasons, such as looking at messages from Whatsapp or TelegramDo it standing up by moving down the hall or across the room.

2. Wear a smart bracelet with a sitting time limit notice

Many smart bracelets have a system that alerts you every time you sit for a long time. If your smart bracelet has that option, turn it on. If not, use a mobile alarm.

You don't have to take a long break if you can't (although it's not a bad idea either). Just get up, take a few laps around the room, the table or the chair. You can also do some squats and move your arms to activate your back.

Find out: Dead Butt Syndrome, not a joke!

3. Meetings and stand-up talks

Both at work and at home, when you talk to someone, do it standing up. It can be a work meeting, a consultation with a colleague, a conversation with someone at home, or even a phone chat. If you don't need to be seated for any reason, get up and talk as you walk.

4. Move around while watching TV

Another way to stay active is to do something while watching TV. You can take advantage to fold or iron the clothes.

You can also watch it while walking on a treadmill or pedaling an exercise bike. There are small devices to pedal seated or to take climbing steps that you can do with or without support.

Add movement to the reward routine

Moving is important for physical and mental health and good intellectual performance. Adding a little movement not only doesn't take up too much time, it pays off, as it supports organic functions.

This helps us to be more productive, more creative, and more effective. Being active throughout the day makes all your training efforts pay off.