Like any other average person, you probably spend a considerable amount of time sitting – at your work desk, on your couch, inside your car. Even though you might consider balancing out the time you spend on the chair with trips to the recreational centre, research tells us that significant sitting time can increase the risk of colon and breast cancers.
Apart from that, another study carried out recently explained that increased time spent sitting in front of the TV can actually decrease your lifespan.
By now, you must be really tensed to hear some of the stuff discussed above. Well, there’s some good news. Fortunately, counteracting the bad effects of sitting is quite easy – all you have to do is move more.
If you wish to boost your health and trim your waistline while you’re at it – without the need of any expensive equipment or fancy gym membership – then we have the following four tips for you through which you can get more activity throughout your day. Let’s have a look:
1. Walk More
As far as staying active without any gym or exercise equipment is concerned, walking seems to be the most suitable alternative. Apart from being highly convenient and easy, it helps you burn calories effectively.
So simply devote more time to each of your walks – including your walk from the parking lot to your office, your morning walk, and your walk to the coffee shop – and walk faster. To get more benefit, you can consider using a pedometer which will keep track of your input. You can also slowly build up to walking 10,000 steps every day.
2. Stand Up While Working
Your office is the main area where you spent seated for hours. The time you spend at work is a lost opportunity for burning hundreds of calories on a daily basis. What’s the simplest solution? A standup desk, perhaps? You know your workplace better than anyone, so we’ll just leave this one up to you to figure out.
What we do need to remind you of, is that according to experts, standing burns up to 50% more calories as compared to sitting.
3. Clean Your House
Cleaning your apartment or house on a regular basis is another easy way to make sure you stay active during the day. An average 150-lbs individual is capable of burning 85 calories per an hour and a half of light cleaning. On the contrary, vigorous cleaning can help you burn over a 100 calories in the same time.
4. Get Some Exercise During TV Time
Who says it’s necessary to idly sit on your couch while you are watching your favorite TV shows? The biggest stride you can make in your bid to stay active is simply getting some exercise during those commercial breaks. Consider pushups, jumping jacks, burpees, and similar fat-blasting movements while the commercials are on.
Follow these tips and you’ll increase your daily active time conveniently!