Okay so in doing this work challenge I have been asked how I manage to get so many steps into my day. Here are some of the things that I personally do to help get more steps into my day.
1. Place time blocks in my personal calendar on my phone that remind me 15 minutes ahead of time that I need to be walking soon if I'm not already. It helps to pair this with a special alarm on your phone to be a helpful reminder in case a notification ding isn't enough. I have scheduled three 2 hour blocks into my day entirely devoted to walking, that's 6 hours! I like to get up at 5:15 and walk until about 7:15 to say hello to other fittie and pet-walking neighbors. I block the first two hours I get home to walking from 5:20-7:20 before I settle into cooking dinner for the evening. I then take a walk from around 8:00-10:00 on my gym's treadmill so I can watch live TV while I walk during prime time when all my favorite shows are on. To keep myself from getting bored in these 6 hours I spend that time talking with my significant other, calling friends and family to catch up, listening to an audio book or news podcast. I don't like to listen to music while I walk because it makes the time feel longer than it is. It should be whatever will captivate your interest the most.
2. Be a fidgeter! That's right, fidget, do NOT sit or stand still. If your eating a sandwich, walk while you eat it. If your cooking in the kitchen step back and forth - likewise for brushing your teeth! March in place when you watch TV instead of succumbing to the Sitting Disease (see post from 7/29/15 for more information on that), put your laundry into the washer one piece at a time so you have to take multiple trips to the washer, same for putting away dry clothes and bringing in the mail. Call your folks and make laps around your living room!
3. Walk at work. Again, to avoid Sitting Disease, be sure to stop and get up at least every hour. Take the long way around the office and go to the furthest restroom (our furthest restroom is 5 floors away so I get about 500 steps every time I visit the loo!) Need a drink of water? Go to the furthest water phone - again for me 5 floors away! Just every hour find an excuse to get up even if it's just to throw something away. I know most folks have their own trash but it'll help if you put your trash away in the furthest central location.
4. It's easy to convert a desk into a standing desk. I purchased 3 shoe racks from Target and propped 2 on top of each other for my monitors so they'd be at the right height and a third to go in front for my keyboard and mouse. I spent $35 in total for this simple fix and I had gotten wood ones so they wouldn't look tacky. It's a little hard to type at first but over time it's something you can grow accustomed to.
5. Shop like your lost. Park in the furthest place from the entrance (bring an umbrella just in case) and take a walk around the whole store before you even put a single item in your cart and when you change departments when you do start shopping make another lap before you move onto another department. For obvious reasons do perishables last. :D If you don't have to worry about the items in your cart going bad take another lap around the store before you check out. Bring your groceries in one bag at a time, starting with your perishables, and don't ask the hubby or the kids for help.
6. Basically unless there is absolutely no reason why you couldn't be standing you can be walking in place!
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