How to Add More Activity to Your Life
First ask yourself: "Why do I want to add more activity to my life?", Get to some basic principles about activity., Take these basic principles and develop a personal strategy plan., For each idea listed, write a smart objective., Now group your...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: First ask yourself: "Why do I want to add more activity to my life?"
Activity burns calories, but that might not be your primary purpose.
To get motivated and get moving, consider why you want to add more activity to your life. Maybe you want greater flexibility or good balance or sharper eye-hand coordination.
Activity makes your digestive system more regular. Perhaps adding extra activity will help you tone and strengthen your muscles, giving you a greater sense of personal power and effectiveness. Increased activity helps blood flow to the brain.
You just might be a little sharper in your mind, after a quick run down the hall or a short stroll around the block.
Adding activity to your life may also decrease stress. Physical activity helps quiet an overactive mind. It also helps the mind make creative connections. So adding activity to your life may help you solve problems or design better mouse traps. And you might also gain a social life. When you're "on the move" other people are attracted to you. They'll want to join you in a walk, a dance, a team sport, or a gardening project. -
Step 2: Get to some basic principles about activity.
If you can reach a desired object without moving, you won't be active.
So move what you want AWAY from you, make it harder to get, so you have to put some effort in. That means getting rid of the TV remote control, parking at the edge of the parking lot, and picking a bank that is faster to walk to than drive to.
Moving should feel good. If it hurts, you won't do it. If you even think you might feel uncomfortable in some way, you are likely to not do the activity. For example, many people abandon exercise because they dislike sweating or fear the social embarrassment of body odour.
Some activities are more fun to do or provide some special interest. Consider what your passions are and plan activities around them. Walking on a treadmill is easier if you can watch the news or your favourite cooking show. Bird watching may help you hike up to an eagle's nest or have you paddling estuaries in a kayak, looking for shorebirds.
Lower the "threat factor".
This might be a fear of the cost of activity, in time or money or energy. Some people skip the gym workout because they think they must wear fancy clothing or pay for a pricey membership.
Others skip the dog walk because they have over-committed to work projects. If you are out of shape, your first few days and weeks may totally exhaust you. But the real rewards come just a bit later, when you find that your extra activity has trimmed your waistline, lightened your step, and actually boosted your energy.
An active person is more likely to keep active, so don't just think about it or talk about it. The hardest step is your first one.
Pairing activity with something pleasant, or someone pleasant, makes it more likely to occur. Put something wonderful at the end of each burst of activity.
Consider getting a pet. Dogs, cats, and rabbits are house pets that will want you to be active with them.
Become mindful of your body's natural rhythms and cycles. The time of day you will prefer to exercise depends to some extent on other biological needs like sleep, eating, and sex drive.
Notice when you are already active and make note of the details (day of week, time of day, location, setting, and what happened just before or just after your activity). Try to add even more to those activity events when possible. Also make notes about when you "veg out" as a couch potato.
Notice if your activity level changes when you are around certain people. For example, parents may enjoy riding bicycles with their kids, or you may give up dance classes to watch TV with your new couch potato spouse.
Where you work and when you work has an effect on your activity level. Night shift workers have more digestive upsets and often put on extra pounds. Desk jobs are notorious for caging employees in physical inactivity. Employers who foster stretch breaks and allow employees to travel stairwells to run errands may find they have a fitter work force.
Look for activity opportunities embedded in your daily life. Put cast iron cookware on the lower cabinet shelves. Pull those weeds instead of using poison. Hand wash the car. Add an extra step to activities you already naturally do. Kneed your bread dough and hand mix your meat patties. , Review step 2 and then write down two or three ideas for each principle that fit with your current lifestyle.
You are not making yourself over into somebody else or trying out for the Olympics. Small changes are more easy to achieve and sustain. Small changes allow you to have "error-free learning"
avoid the punishing aspects of trying too much too soon, and give you a quick sense of success and measurable accomplishment. , These objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-determined. For example, "I will skip my kitchen convenience gadgets and drive-through food trips. This means juicing my oranges by hand, using a manual can opener, using a spoon for mixing, grinding my spices, and chopping my vegetables. I will set a table and wash my dishes by hand. At least 5 of 7 days I will make a meal from scratch. and I will continue this habit for at least 3 weeks, to reinforce the pattern". ,, Assign time and cost estimates to each objective and then record the actual outcome. Review your estimates and measure your success. The more visible it is, the better. Don't be afraid to put yourself on a star chart or give yourself ribbons or tokens of achievement. Celebrate your added activity! , If you're brave, go public and report your achievements on Facebook or Twitter.
The encouragement of others will help you keep on moving into that more active life. -
Step 3: Take these basic principles and develop a personal strategy plan.
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Step 4: For each idea listed
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Step 5: write a smart objective.
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Step 6: Now group your objectives by setting (eg inside or outside activities
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Step 7: winter or summer activities
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Step 8: work setting or home setting) and schedule them on your calendar by both date and time.
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Step 9: Keep a journal to track your progress.
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Step 10: Share your success with a friend.
Detailed Guide
Activity burns calories, but that might not be your primary purpose.
To get motivated and get moving, consider why you want to add more activity to your life. Maybe you want greater flexibility or good balance or sharper eye-hand coordination.
Activity makes your digestive system more regular. Perhaps adding extra activity will help you tone and strengthen your muscles, giving you a greater sense of personal power and effectiveness. Increased activity helps blood flow to the brain.
You just might be a little sharper in your mind, after a quick run down the hall or a short stroll around the block.
Adding activity to your life may also decrease stress. Physical activity helps quiet an overactive mind. It also helps the mind make creative connections. So adding activity to your life may help you solve problems or design better mouse traps. And you might also gain a social life. When you're "on the move" other people are attracted to you. They'll want to join you in a walk, a dance, a team sport, or a gardening project.
If you can reach a desired object without moving, you won't be active.
So move what you want AWAY from you, make it harder to get, so you have to put some effort in. That means getting rid of the TV remote control, parking at the edge of the parking lot, and picking a bank that is faster to walk to than drive to.
Moving should feel good. If it hurts, you won't do it. If you even think you might feel uncomfortable in some way, you are likely to not do the activity. For example, many people abandon exercise because they dislike sweating or fear the social embarrassment of body odour.
Some activities are more fun to do or provide some special interest. Consider what your passions are and plan activities around them. Walking on a treadmill is easier if you can watch the news or your favourite cooking show. Bird watching may help you hike up to an eagle's nest or have you paddling estuaries in a kayak, looking for shorebirds.
Lower the "threat factor".
This might be a fear of the cost of activity, in time or money or energy. Some people skip the gym workout because they think they must wear fancy clothing or pay for a pricey membership.
Others skip the dog walk because they have over-committed to work projects. If you are out of shape, your first few days and weeks may totally exhaust you. But the real rewards come just a bit later, when you find that your extra activity has trimmed your waistline, lightened your step, and actually boosted your energy.
An active person is more likely to keep active, so don't just think about it or talk about it. The hardest step is your first one.
Pairing activity with something pleasant, or someone pleasant, makes it more likely to occur. Put something wonderful at the end of each burst of activity.
Consider getting a pet. Dogs, cats, and rabbits are house pets that will want you to be active with them.
Become mindful of your body's natural rhythms and cycles. The time of day you will prefer to exercise depends to some extent on other biological needs like sleep, eating, and sex drive.
Notice when you are already active and make note of the details (day of week, time of day, location, setting, and what happened just before or just after your activity). Try to add even more to those activity events when possible. Also make notes about when you "veg out" as a couch potato.
Notice if your activity level changes when you are around certain people. For example, parents may enjoy riding bicycles with their kids, or you may give up dance classes to watch TV with your new couch potato spouse.
Where you work and when you work has an effect on your activity level. Night shift workers have more digestive upsets and often put on extra pounds. Desk jobs are notorious for caging employees in physical inactivity. Employers who foster stretch breaks and allow employees to travel stairwells to run errands may find they have a fitter work force.
Look for activity opportunities embedded in your daily life. Put cast iron cookware on the lower cabinet shelves. Pull those weeds instead of using poison. Hand wash the car. Add an extra step to activities you already naturally do. Kneed your bread dough and hand mix your meat patties. , Review step 2 and then write down two or three ideas for each principle that fit with your current lifestyle.
You are not making yourself over into somebody else or trying out for the Olympics. Small changes are more easy to achieve and sustain. Small changes allow you to have "error-free learning"
avoid the punishing aspects of trying too much too soon, and give you a quick sense of success and measurable accomplishment. , These objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and time-determined. For example, "I will skip my kitchen convenience gadgets and drive-through food trips. This means juicing my oranges by hand, using a manual can opener, using a spoon for mixing, grinding my spices, and chopping my vegetables. I will set a table and wash my dishes by hand. At least 5 of 7 days I will make a meal from scratch. and I will continue this habit for at least 3 weeks, to reinforce the pattern". ,, Assign time and cost estimates to each objective and then record the actual outcome. Review your estimates and measure your success. The more visible it is, the better. Don't be afraid to put yourself on a star chart or give yourself ribbons or tokens of achievement. Celebrate your added activity! , If you're brave, go public and report your achievements on Facebook or Twitter.
The encouragement of others will help you keep on moving into that more active life.
About the Author
Barbara Brown
Committed to making cooking accessible and understandable for everyone.
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