Keep Active With These Tips: No Gym Required

We all know the mantra:  in order to live a healthy, balanced lifestyle, we must stay active.

Is your image of active associated with a gym membership? It doesn’t have to be that way! There are plenty of ways to stay active that don’t involve a gym or cost a ton of money.

How much movement do you need?

Being active does not always mean adding an extra activity into your day.  To meet minimum health requirements, you need to move at a moderate pace for 150 minutes per week. For added benefits 300 minutes of moderate activity is recommended.

Please check WHO guidelines here: Click Here.

Figure out what works for you.

The questions for you are:

•  What are your goals? to be more active? to lose weight? to recover from injury?
• Do you like to go solo? or with a friend?
• How much time can you free up in a day? or a week?
• How much money are you able to spend?
• Do you need space? or equipment?

The secret is building movement into your life every day. Start small and add more as you are able. You will be more likely to stick with your plan if you slowly make changes to your daily lifestyle.

Focus on activities you enjoy.

A good start may be to change your mind set from exercising because it’s “good for you” to staying active because you enjoy it.

Some of us need a scheduled event and paying the fee is the only thing that gets you there. If that sounds like you, sign up for something you love to do.

Try a sport. 

It doesn’t have to be something fast-paced and it doesn’t even need to be with anyone (if that’s how you like it!).

If you like a social connection, doing group sports will keep you going back for more. Going with a buddy may help break the ice too!

The city has something for everyone: Frisbee, ice hockey, golf, bowling,  line dancing, running, snowshoeing, swimming,  and skating are great options!

Walking may be the king.  

Sneaking in a walk at lunchtime is a winner: you get out of the office, clear your head and move a little. Invite a friend if you like company.

You can park far away from the door and trick yourself into an additional five minutes walking to and from work. The additional 10 minutes a day adds up to almost an hour weekly.

Avoid the elevator. Take the stairs.

Join the East Coast Trails Association. If you thrive on group activities, there are regular hikes posted. For those who like to hike solo, the network of trails is clearly marked for distance, time and difficulty. We are so fortunate to have this resource on our doorstep!

Invite family, friends and co-workers 

Recruiting a family member or co-worker to get active with you is a powerful motivator.  If you use a fitbit, challenge your friends and co-workers. Trying to see who can log the most steps each day can really raise the activity bar!

Aim for variety! It’s the spice of life!

Try not to do the same activities repeatedly. Serious athletes cross-train; you can vary your activities too! If you are a walker, change routes and vary the lengths of walks. Include hills. Mixing it up will prevent boredom and challenge your fitness.

If you decide to do a regular sport like swimming change up the workout. Experiment with different strokes, vary your pace and intensity. These moves target different muscle groups, so it’s important to try a bit of everything.

Work out at home.

Programs like MyYoga and Pilates Online are great online programs to mix up the moves you do every day. With classes that vary in skill level, technique and duration, there is something for everyone! Your body will get a full body workout that fits in your day!

Fitness equipment in your home, like a treadmill or stationary bike, works for some people. Personally, I use a rebounder (a mini-trampoline with a hand bar and better springs).  It is set up across from the TV and I bounce gently or vigorously while watching the evening news.  Just 10 minutes  ( stepped up pace) on this baby is equal to a 30 minute jog.

Gardening and house maintenance counts as movement. All that lifting, pulling and pushing gives the body a good workout!

Summary

One thing we do know is that your body is designed to move every day.  Being active will help maintain healthy bone mass, make you fitter and less prone to injury, build strong muscles and enable us to meet the demands of our professional and personal lives.

Don’t focus on “exercise”, just become more active. You can start today! Your body will thank you!

If you’ve been injured and need help working out a plan, reach out, our physios are trained to work with your limitations and help get you moving and stay moving.