Staying physically active has benefits across many aspects of health. It can boost your immune system, improve your brain health, boost your mood, strengthen the musculoskeletal system, and help maintain a healthy weight, for starters!
The last year and a half has changed daily life for a LOT of people in the Tampa Bay Area.
If you’re like a lot of our patients, you might now be working from home, going out less, and spending a lot more time with your couch & Netflix than you used to.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t stay active, strong, and healthy! The CDC recommends a minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity each week, which breaks down to just over 20 minutes a day.
Here are five tips to help you stay active, even if you are working from home:
- Turn household chores into opportunities for activity:
There are countless household chores that are on every homeowner or renter’s to do list – gardening, laundry, cleaning, cooking, you name it. These can all be turned into athletic challenges of sorts by adding in squats, jumps, lunges, and any other of your favorite simple bodyweight exercises in!
- Switch up your WFH workspace:
If you miss the good ole days in the office where you could meander back to the water cooler every hour to stretch those legs, maybe an unconventional choice like an exercise ball chair, or an increasingly popular choice like a sit/stand desk is a good option for you! It might not get you more face time with your co-workers, but it can provide stimulation for your muscles and a break from sitting for 8 hours every day.
- Get those steps in:
If you’re not taking part in a daily or weekly step challenge, what are you waiting for? If you don’t have a fitness or smartwatch, most smartphones can count steps these days. The most common target is 10,000 steps a day, and once that’s your goal, you’ll find all sorts of ways to fit extra steps in! Parking farther away from the entrance at Publix, taking the dog around the block one more time or taking the long route to the kitchen for your afternoon snack. For bonus points, get those final steps in each day by going up and down the stairs at you or a neighbor’s building!
- Got a pooch?:
Man’s best friend is good for more than your mind and soul – keep your body healthier by playing with your pup outdoors, taking it for a walk, or chasing it around the house to try to get the toy.
- Tried and true:
If none of the above ideas are for you, the tried and true staple of staying active is here to save the day: take a walk!
Weather too hot, too rainy, or (once a year) too cold? You can always walk around your house, or better yet, pretend it’s the good old days, and you’re at the club: crank up some jams and have a dance party by yourself or with your family.
- Bonus tip (this one’s good for lazy folks)!:
I know, we said 5 tips, but we love you, so we’re throwing in an extra one for free.
How do you prefer to spend your leisure and entertainment time? Watching TV & movies? Reading a book? Listening to an audiobook or a podcast?
Spice it up by spending that leisure time also being active! It can be something stationary, like wall sits, or more involved, like a treadmill, stationary bike, or rebounder.
Suncoast Integrative Healthcare is here to keep you at your peak physical performance at every stage of life. Give us a call to set up your next appointment!