The Meaningful Movement Challenge
Since I started working from home, I’ve been lacking motivation to hit my daily step count. As someone who owns little workout equipment and has trouble sticking to a gym routine, I’ve been trying to find ways to move my body that can be incorporated into my day-to-day life. I decided to try out some of the Meaningful Movement’s 5 Ways to Move Better – an initiative providing easy ways to add movement to our daily lives. Here’s how I incorperated each of the five habits into my routine:
Normally, when doing chores or cleaning the house my goal is to get things done as fast as possible. However, by slowing down and making some small changes - such as taking the long route to grab my mail and making multiple trips to bring groceries into the kitchen - I was able to increase my step count. It may sound small, but I noticed by taking my time with these activities, I was able to move more all while being productive!
It can be easy for me to lose track of time and slip into the sit-around-all-day slump. One tool that helped me avoid this tendency was my fitness tracker. Most fitness trackers have the option to send you a notification to get up and move at a pre-specified time frame. If a fitness tracker isn’t within your budget, you can also opt to set a timer on your phone that prompts you to move at least every 30 to 60 minutes.
Some great activities that were fast, easy and managed to get my blood flowing every 30-60 minutes during my workday included climbing up and down the stairs or going for a short walk around the block. If I was ever caught in back-to-back meetings, I tried to do some quick desk exercises, such as spinal twists, head tilts or an overhead stretch and reach.
At first, I felt like 30 minutes was a long time to dedicate to going for a walk. However, time flew by when I decided to get my steps in while listening to an NPR podcast or an upbeat Spotify playlist. If I was opting to stay indoors, a great motivator was to watch my favourite Youtuber or a binge-worthy show while walking on the treadmill.
There is definitely something to be said about the power of working out in a group! Not only does group exercise motivate us, it’s also a great way to hold yourself accountable. A fun group exercise I tried was a pilates class that was taught over Zoom. This allowed me to get a good sweat in and connect with friends in other cities that were able to join in. It also fit nicely into my busy schedule, and I was able to attend from the comfort of my own home. I will definitely be joining this class on a weekly basis moving forward.
As someone who has always wanted to own a pet, there’s nothing better than when my friends ask me if I want to walk their dogs with them. I love taking these opportunities to catch-up, play with their furry friends and get some movement in. This was a great way to get some social time and my steps in.
Overall, the Meaningful Movement initiative gave me 5 easy to do actions that will help me build healthy, lifelong habits. Not only did adding movement to my routine help combat stress and connect with loved ones, if continued in the long-term it will help to reduce my risk of developing chronic disease. It’s important to adopt activities that will work for you and I encourage you to experiment and find things that will fit your lifestyle. Before you know it, adding movement to your routine will become second nature.
Check out the Five to Thrive Meaningful Movement site to learn more about incorporating meaningful movement into your routines.