Start making positive changes! 5 ways to get more movement into your day.
So in a previous post we looked at things you can change to help decrease your risk of pelvic floor dysfunction. Here are a few achievable ways to get more movement into your day!
1. Pomodoro Technique
Now, I know a lot of people have jobs that require them to be sitting for 8 or more hours a day, obviously not ideal for the human body. Recently I was introduced to the Pomodoro technique by a friend (Pomodoro meaning tomato in Italian). It is based on the idea that frequent breaks during your work day, a 3-5 minute break every 25 minutes, can help improve productivity and efficiency. I love this idea, not only because it gives your brain a rest, but also your body. You can also use this time to give your muscles a break. Stand up, stretch and wake up all your postural muscles, including your pelvic floor! Check it out!
2. Change up your work space
If possible, see if you arrange your work set up to be standing instead of sitting (or alternate between the two). Another good alternative is using an exercise ball to sit on if you can't stand. Since I'm spending more time on my laptop writing these posts, I have it placed on my kitchen counter so I can stand and work at a comfortable height.
3. Improve your commute
If you live close enough, walking or cycling to work is a great option to get in more cardiovascular exercise and decrease your passive sitting time. If you do have to have to use a car or transit, parking a little further away or getting off the bus/train a stop earlier and walking the last section can be greatly beneficial. Same goes for finding parking at a shopping centre or at the gym (and I admit to being guilty of driving around to get the closest possible spot in the past), parking a little further away from the entrance and walking that bit more is really not that bad.
4. Get active
Current recommendations of physical activity for adults is at least 150 minutes per week. Spread that out over 7 days is about 22mins per day, which really isn't much out of the 1,440 minutes available to you per day. If you add a 10mins walk each way to work, you've got it in already! Meanwhile, I am so ridiculously impressed by the people I see walking to work, running and cycling through snow and -20 degrees celsius here in Calgary! Not to mention all the other winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing. It's incredible to see how humans are able to adapt to where they live. If you're in a climate with a pretty mild winter (Aussies), there's really no excuse.
5. Catching up with friends
Instead of just catching up for coffee or a movie and sitting to chat, get up and get moving! Try going for a bike ride, a casual walk or hike, going to a yoga, dance or any kind of exercise class together. Even going shopping around a mall or walking to the coffee shop rather than driving-and-parking-as-close-as-you-can would be better!
Recently I went for a Ladies-Only beginner mountain bike ride with a friend and it was so much fun! Great to see ladies of varying experience having a go.
If you need more motivation to sit less during your day, check out this article "Sitting is the new Smoking" by the guys at Kinetic Health.
1. Pomodoro Technique
Now, I know a lot of people have jobs that require them to be sitting for 8 or more hours a day, obviously not ideal for the human body. Recently I was introduced to the Pomodoro technique by a friend (Pomodoro meaning tomato in Italian). It is based on the idea that frequent breaks during your work day, a 3-5 minute break every 25 minutes, can help improve productivity and efficiency. I love this idea, not only because it gives your brain a rest, but also your body. You can also use this time to give your muscles a break. Stand up, stretch and wake up all your postural muscles, including your pelvic floor! Check it out!
2. Change up your work space
If possible, see if you arrange your work set up to be standing instead of sitting (or alternate between the two). Another good alternative is using an exercise ball to sit on if you can't stand. Since I'm spending more time on my laptop writing these posts, I have it placed on my kitchen counter so I can stand and work at a comfortable height.
3. Improve your commute
If you live close enough, walking or cycling to work is a great option to get in more cardiovascular exercise and decrease your passive sitting time. If you do have to have to use a car or transit, parking a little further away or getting off the bus/train a stop earlier and walking the last section can be greatly beneficial. Same goes for finding parking at a shopping centre or at the gym (and I admit to being guilty of driving around to get the closest possible spot in the past), parking a little further away from the entrance and walking that bit more is really not that bad.
4. Get active
Current recommendations of physical activity for adults is at least 150 minutes per week. Spread that out over 7 days is about 22mins per day, which really isn't much out of the 1,440 minutes available to you per day. If you add a 10mins walk each way to work, you've got it in already! Meanwhile, I am so ridiculously impressed by the people I see walking to work, running and cycling through snow and -20 degrees celsius here in Calgary! Not to mention all the other winter activities such as skiing, snowboarding, snow-shoeing. It's incredible to see how humans are able to adapt to where they live. If you're in a climate with a pretty mild winter (Aussies), there's really no excuse.
5. Catching up with friends
Instead of just catching up for coffee or a movie and sitting to chat, get up and get moving! Try going for a bike ride, a casual walk or hike, going to a yoga, dance or any kind of exercise class together. Even going shopping around a mall or walking to the coffee shop rather than driving-and-parking-as-close-as-you-can would be better!
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Recently I went for a Ladies-Only beginner mountain bike ride with a friend and it was so much fun! Great to see ladies of varying experience having a go.
If you need more motivation to sit less during your day, check out this article "Sitting is the new Smoking" by the guys at Kinetic Health.
