
- Park further from work to increase the distance you have to walk.
- If possible, walk or cycle to work instead of driving.
- If getting a bus to or from work get off a stop earlier to add some extra walking to your day.
- Take the stairs and not the lift.
- Take the stairs and not the escalator.
- Need to go to the bathroom? Walk to a further toilet or even better go to one on a different floor.
- Instead of a bottle of water on your desk, use a glass to make sure you go to the kitchen to fill it up regularly.
- Set a timer to make you move when sitting at a desk. This can be as simple as using the timer on your phone or there are programs you can download that can remind you to move.
- Some gadgets like the Apple Watch remind you to stand regularly.
- Stand up to answer the phone.
- Change sitting position every 20-30 minutes.
- Try a standing desk for a while. A standing desk, like the ones at standdesk.nz are a great option. (check them out. If you are interested, use the code ELEVATECHIRO for a 10% discount).
- Buy a standing desk attachment for your desk so that you can mix standing and sitting during the day. A great option for a standing desk attachment called Varidesk. https://varidesk.co.nz/
- Sit on an air cushion or exercise ball when at work to promote movement when sitting. If you are interested, we sell air cushions in the clinic.
- Try a walking meeting instead of sitting in the office.
- Every lunch break take a short walk.
- If possible, go for a walk whilst you eat lunch.
- If you fidget, keep doing it, it can help. Read a blog post on it here.
- Parents may hate me for this. Try a fidget spinner or fidget cube.
- Putting on shoes? Squat or kneel down rather than sit on a chair
- Try crawling on ‘all fours’ it’s a great exercise. See a blog post I wrote on this here.
- Watching TV? Stand up and walk around during the ad breaks.
- Watching TV? Every ad break do a stretch.
- Watching TV? Change position regularly. For example after every ad break.
- Watching TV? Try sitting or lying on the floor.
- Get a step counter, these are great at making you move more.
- Skip the drive through and walk inside the shop to get your coffee or food.
- If you have young kids like I do, you will spend a lot of time at playgrounds. When you are there, play along with your kids, try the monkey bars or the swings, climb the ladders etc.
There you have 28 ways to try and add a little movement to your day. Of course there are heaps more, but hopefully this will get you thinking as to what changes you can make in your day. Try adding some of these movements to your daily activities for a week and see how you feel. I am sure your body will thank you for it. If you have other ideas of how to add some movement to your life, please share.