Building Activity Day by Day

June 2013

Building Activity Day by Day for Medical Weight Loss in Los AngelesWe live in a world of long commutes and desk jobs. Chances are you spend a lot more time sitting every day than you do standing. Eight hours in your desk chair at work, another eight hours in bed sleeping every night, two hours in the car running errands and waiting in traffic—all told, this leaves you with just six hours each day to be on your feet, and most of us aren’t taking full advantage of that time.

During your medical weight loss program, make a concerted effort to move more often. Devoting 30 minutes to workouts every day is a great place to start, but this is far from ideal. 30 active minutes won’t counteract 23.5 hours of sitting around. To reach your weight loss goal you’ll need to push yourself harder—and more often.

But you can’t just give up your desk job to spend more time at the gym. Everyone has obligations. The trick is to find ways to incorporate more activity into the hours you already spend doing other things, whether at home, on the go or at the office.

Here are 15 simple ways to add more activity to your life without abandoning your to-do list:

  1. Skip the elevator and take the stairs.
  2. Stand up and pace the room while talking on the phone.
  3. Push yourself to do a few household chores that keep you on your feet more every night.
  4. Change your lunch plans with friends to a healthy picnic and walk at the park.
  5. Stay active with productive hobbies like gardening and home improvement.
  6. Spend 10 minutes of your lunch break walking.
  7. Park your car far from your destination to walk farther.
  8. Make family walks a part of your after-dinner routine.
  9. Try doing push-ups or jumping jacks while watching TV.
  10. Run short-distance errands on foot or by bike.
  11. Walk the dog instead of letting Fido run around the backyard.
  12. Wash the car by hand.
  13. Pace across the room while talking on the phone.
  14. Try biking or walking to work instead of driving (if you live close enough to the office).
  15. Stand-up at your desk or sit on an exercise ball instead of your standard chair.

Most of these are activities that you don’t even need to change into your gym shorts for. Try adding more activities like this to your lifestyle to push yourself a bit closer to your weight loss goal. Together with a healthy diet and your commitment to a full 30-minute workout, incidental activities like these can help you develop a more active lifestyle.