The Secret Sauce of Sitting Less!

themedalist

Hi Everyone!

As we get Sit Less Boot Camp started, I wanted to share with you a few thoughts and observations that I've had from previous Boot Camps, as well as watching my many wonderful MFP friends also go through the process of sitting less and moving more.

I think the secret sauce of sitting less is YOU. We are all different with different lives and we sit for many different reasons. There is no "one-size-fits-all" approach, just as there is no one diet and exercise plan that will work for everyone. Auna and I will be giving you a lot of ideas and resources for sitting less throughout the month and I believe that there will be something for everyone. But as you go through your day today, tomorrow, and the next few days, notice when you sit the most. Could you possibly tweak it a little bit so that you're sitting less? Look for opportunities to move more throughout your day. They are there… it just takes a little bit of creative thinking and thinking through your unique situation.

Also, don't try to change everything at once and go from being ultra-sedentary to never sitting. Trust us… It won't work. Just as so many enthusiastic folks join MFP pledging never to eat dessert again and determined to spend hours at the gym each day, an all or nothing approach to sitting less will almost certainly fail. Ease into a more active lifestyle. Our overarching goal is that you'll be sitting less every day long after Boot Camp has ended.

With that said, here are some of the strategies that I have used to go from being very sedentary to being much more active. This is what has worked for me and I look forward over the month to learning what is working for you.

1. I moved my laptop from my comfy chair to my kitchen countertop. This was the first thing that I did as I realized that every morning I sat drinking my coffee while scanning MFP, emails, and other websites.

2. Better use of my treadmill I have exercised on my treadmill for years and I love it. But when I stopped to think about all the things I was doing while sitting at home, I realized that most of them could be done on my iPad while walking slowly on my treadmill. Now I check and respond to emails via Siri on my treadmill, check social media, keep up with my MFP friends, watch videos, read Kindle books, TED talks, TV shows etc. In fact, this post was entirely "written" using Siri on my iPad. Making a better use of my treadmill has been the single largest contributor to my reduction in sitting time throughout the day.

I know not everyone has a treadmill. I didn't either before I bought one. But here's the thing. Now is a great time to be looking for a gently used treadmill. Many people who purchased them at the beginning of the year with the best of intentions to exercise more are now willing to sell them very cheaply. It may take a while to locate a low-cost treadmill, but trust me they are out there. Craig's List is a great resource. Look long enough and you may even get one for free.

3. I stand up or walk around when I'm on the phone or texting. I don't even think about this one anymore. I am so conditioned to walk around when the phone rings or when I call someone, that it's now an unconscious and ingrained habit.

4. Stand up when I proof an email. Like many people, I send a lot of emails at home and at work. Now I stand up when I proofread them, just before I hit the send button.

5. Lunch at my desk. I've given up my lunch break so that I can take two 15 minute walk breaks in the morning and afternoon with my co-workers. I've gotten to know them better and most of us in our office are now walking a lot more. Sometimes we will also have walking meetings depending on the subject we need to discuss. My colleague David proposed going beyond walking meetings and having "Basketball Meetings" but, yeah...that idea got vetoed.

6. Use my Fitbit's hourly activity tracker to make sure I'm getting up at least every hour. My goal is to stand up and walk around at least every 20 to 30 minutes, but sometimes what I'm working on prevents that from happening. My Fitbit keeps me honest and on track.

7. My new active hobby: small scale herb gardening. I know some phenomenal gardeners and I'm sure many of you are as well. I am enjoying puttering in my little herb garden. Fussing over and tending to my little plants can't be done while sitting. Are there active hobbies you are interested in pursuing?

So that's my Sit Less story. I would love to hear from Boot Camp alumni and others what strategies you've found useful in sitting less and moving more. Please share and let's learn from each other!

brightresolve

Replacing my writing chair with my exercise ball right now.

themedalist

Good for you, @brightresolve!

jlperiard

I love the idea of moving around every 20-30 minutes. I also have a treadmill I haven't used in years. I'm going to find my pedometer.