exercise, fitness goals 2023, movement Image: Instagram/@freeletics
I’ve been sharing activity metrics with my oldest friend on my Apple Watch for a few months now, and it’s been eye opening. Aside from the fact that he miraculously burns 700 calories in the same workout that I burn 315 (on a good day), he’s also great at standing—as in, every hour, when his watch prompts him, to get the “credit.” Me on the other hand? It’s a work in progress—I'm often beholden to the demands of desk life. But under his influence I have redoubled my efforts at gamifying my day.
Within two months of making an effort to get up on the regular, I noticed a distinguishable increase in productivity. The breaks to move, which vary from laps around my kitchen island with a seltzer in hand to walking up to the roof to grab some fresh Brooklyn air, drove me to get more done.
But moving more throughout the day isn’t just about your to-do list. Too much sitting has been shown to increase the risk of diabetes, dementia, heart disease, and more.
“Your body needs to be active,” says personal trainer Corey Lewis, co-founder and CEO of 1and1 Life. “It wasn’t designed to be sedentary, which is why it’s great to impel opportunities throughout the workday to get active. This will help you maintain your body’s ability to stabilise, balance, and have coordination. Also: Help keep you away from those random injuries that we encounter from inactive joints and muscles.”
Other evidence on the perks of regular movement (and the negatives of uninterrupted sitting) has been mounting for some time. One 2018 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine showed that those that sit for only three hours each day (versus seven) are 33% less likely to die of cardiovascular disease.
And if you’re actually choosing to get in exercise snacks? Well, research shows that three smaller sessions of physical exercise (around 12 minutes each) were more effective in lowering blood sugar—and keeping it lower for longer—than one 30-minute session.
1. Add movement to your commute
If you're going into the office these days, think about how you can add a little walking to your trip to or from work. Lewis recommends getting up 30 minutes earlier, instead, and then use that extra half hour to add walking to your commute to work. “It doesn’t need to be the whole duration,” he adds. “Think of simply getting off public transport a half hour before your work stop, and get in some steps.” If you're driving, consider parking a little further away.
2. Do some desk mobility exercises
Every hour on the hour, try moving your body in a way that helps to open up your rib cage, recommends Austin-based performance coach Cristian Plascencia. “When our rib cage gets really locked up, it can lead to lower back issues,” he says. “It can be something as simple as reaching your arms up and behind your body, like making a snow angel. Continue this movement for a minute, then follow it up with some neck circles.”
Use a device like the Apple Watch or an app like Break Timer to prompt you.
3. Seated calf raises
Your buddy may get on you for missing leg day in the gym, but adding some seated calf raises at your desk can do more than just get the gang off your back. By doing soleus push-ups, a term coined by researchers at the University of Houston, you can improve the metabolic health in the rest of your body.
4. Make it a competition
Apparently I’m not the only one who benefits from a little healthy challenge. During your mid-morning or afternoon break, pump out a couple sets of push ups, alternated with the wall sit, recommends Lewis: “Get buy-in from a work colleague and do them together.”
5. When in doubt, go for a walk.
Nothing new here. But taking a movement break outside can promote blood flow through your joints and soft tissues. It can also give you an added full-body boost, courtesy of the sun. “Aside from feeling good on your skin, sunlight provides vitamin D, helps with testosterone production, lowers cortisol levels, and even promotes healthier sleep at night thanks to melatonin production,” says Plascencia.
[Via GQ Australia]
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