Earlier this week, we started talking about staying active through the winter by setting a new goal. In our quest to keep moving (not hibernating) this year, there’s something else you can do to help you keep moving. Because all the little things you do (or don’t do) throughout the day add up!
Disclosure: This post was sponsored by Fitbit through their partnership with POPSUGAR Select. While I was compensated to write a post about Fitbit, all opinions are my own. You can read my disclosure policy here.
Have you ever noticed how long you spend sitting down? Even if you get regular exercise, studies have shown that sitting too much is actually bad for you! But it can be hard to remember to get up and move when you’re busy at the office! And even those who don’t work in a typical office setting may find they are spending more time sitting than ever before.
As part of this campaign, I received a new Fitbit Charge to help #findyourfit. I lost my old Fitbit Zip earlier this year, so I had gotten out of the habit of tracking my steps. I decided to see how much I was walking around right now – without changing anything. The result is pretty sad on workdays! The first few days I logged only 1000 steps during my time in the office, which surely puts me in the “sitting far too much” category.
It’s time to change that. Now that I have a tool to track my daily activity again, I thought of small changes that I can make to put a dent in that lack of activity.
Small Steps to Keep Moving
These tips apply to everyone and are little choices throughout the day that will help you get moving a little more.
1. Silent Alarm Reminders
This new Fitbit has a silent alarm, which I assume is intended to wake you up in the morning. I decided to take a different approach and set the alarm to go off every few hours as a reminder to get up and walk around. Once I get used to this, I’ll up the frequency to every hour. It’s already working and such a simple change.
2. Walking Phone Calls
The next time you answer the phone, stand up. Even better if you can walk around. It can help shorten the length of the phone call, while helping you focus on the task. I’ve heard of this trick before, but never tried it for myself. This also works great when you’re catching up with family & friends on the phone.
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3. Walking Meetings
Instead of meeting a co-worker or friend for coffee, have you tried walking meetings? I have done this with my team in the past and, honestly, we’ve gotten out of the habit. I’m bringing them back! It’s trickier when there’s snow outside, but it’s refreshing on the days when the weather allows it. We found we were more creative when out walking and talking, instead of sitting around a desk discussing the same topic. And it helps everyone get more active (talk about setting a good example!).
If this is too much of a stretch, try planning a walk with a friend to get out of the office (or out of your house) during the day.
4. Meet Farther Away
Every meeting can’t be a walking meeting, but you can plan more walking by booking conference rooms that aren’t close to you. I think we all instinctively pick the one closest to us (there’s one right next to my office I am partial to), but what if I purposely start choosing rooms a bit farther away?
5. Weekly Step Challenge
One of the fun features of the Fitbit website is the leaderboard. You can see how your weekly steps compare to your friends that also are on the site. I’m a big fan of friendly competition, so plan a challenge that you can use to motivate each other. You can decide to compete for pride or a real prize – that’s up to you!
Each of these ideas is small, but how many more steps would you take each day by trying a few?
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Questions for you:
- When are you least active throughout the week?
- What other ideas do you have to add movement to your workday?