Living an active lifestyle leads to a longer, healthier life! But I get it. Sometimes it feels impossible to muster up energy and get in those 20-30 minutes of exercise each day. Today, I am here to tell you “it doesn’t have to be hard!”. Below you will find 10 tips on how to start and stay active.
1. Find an Activity you Enjoy
Not all of us enjoy hopping on the elliptical. Or going on a run. Or bench pressing. So find something you like! For example:
- Swimming
- Biking
- Basketball
- Soccer
- Frisbee
- Gardening
- Yoga
- Ice skating
- Pilates
- Jump rope
- Tennis
- Pickle ball
The list goes on!
2. Incorporate Friends and Family
Maybe you’re a busy parent. Or you have a long work day. Or you just get bored exercising on your own. Invite friends and family, even co-workers! Get out in nature. Take a class. Even if you have a really little one, strap them to you or put them in a bouncer to watch. This practice not only benefits you, but also those around you!
3. Park Further from the Entrance and Take the Stairs
It sounds small, but a little adds up! Next time you go to the grocery or the office, park away from the entrance. (And don’t forget to return your cart!) Get those steps in.
Similar to the above, take the stairs when you can. This can be more efficacious than those extra steps to and fro the store. Opting for the stairs activates different muscle groups, maintains mobility and increases your heart rate. All essential to exercising effectively.
4. Add Weights
Just about anything can be transformed into a weight training exercise. Keep dumbbells near your desk. Strap on ankle weights. Carry weights on a walk. It doesn’t have to be big. 1-3 lbs does the job! Weight training is essential to an optimally functioning skeletomuscular system.
5. Elevate your Heart Rate
Effective exercise is more than a leisure walk. Do something to increase your heart rate. Throw in some jumping jacks. A few burpees. Add in a quick HIIT circuit.
Read more about target heart rate in my post https://lrxwellness.com/how-to-exercise-effectively/
6. Set Goals
A lot of us think “weight loss” when we hear exercise. But it’s way more than that! An active lifestyle has a positive impact not only on physical health but mental health. Your goals don’t have to be weight loss. Maybe it’s lifting heavier. Running faster. Biking further. Starting your day off active and positive.
The SMART acronym (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) is useful when setting goals.
7. Track and Monitor your Activity
Our goals should be measurable, right? As important as setting goals, track and monitor your activity and progress! Write it down. Put it in a notepad on your phone. Download a health app. Consider getting a device such as a FitBit, Apple Watch, Garmen, heart rate monitor, etc. to help keep track.
8. Get up and Go
Don’t sit longer than 60 minutes (ideally 30) during the day. Stand up and jog in place. Do some squats, bicep curls, pushups, whatever it may be! Stay motivated. Stay active. The longer you sit, the harder it is to get up and go!
9. Make it Routine
Health, fitness, and wellness are part of a lifestyle. Start small and stay consistent. Over time, it will become part of your routine.
10. Change it Up
I know, it sounds counterintuitive to #9 but it’s not! While routine is important for consistency, varying exercises add excitement, motivation, and lead to progression. Keep your mind and muscles guessing. Try taking a class. Or maybe you do cardio three times weekly (Jogging one day. Hiking another. Biking the next.) Then, weight training two days. Yoga another. Walking on day 7.
Wait, did I skip a rest day? Rest is as important as being active. But when I hear rest, I don’t think sitting on the couch and eating pizza all day. Again, being active is a lifestyle; so walking and yoga may be part of a healthy rest day!
In Conclusion
I have said it before and I’ll say it again. Daily exercise significantly impacts overall health, optimizing function of vital organs, improving mental health, reducing risk of disease, and more. Therefore, regular exercise may lead to a longer and healthier life. Ideally, we are getting 20-30 minutes of exercise per day. It may sound daunting so make it fun! Find something you enjoy, incorporate friends and family, set goals, track and monitor, change it up, and make it routine. An active lifestyle is a choice and once you start you won’t want to stop!
I hope this article gave you ideas and the motivation to get moving.
As always, please reach out with questions, comments or for further discussion.
Lindsey, PharmD, BCPS
2 responses to “10 Tips to Start and Stay Active”
Great advice and great photos! Accepting and adapting exercise routines to the various stages of life works. Those high intensity workouts I did in my twenties and thirties don’t seem as important now in my fifties, but I stay very active in different ways! Thanks, Lindsey!
Totally. Different activities become more or less important at different stages in life. And that’s ok! You are spot on with the “accepting and adapting exercise routines”. Love it. Thanks for reading!