10/02 Sunday Day 2 SLBC

Auna37

There are lots of ways to ditch the chair and some of the most popular actions are listed here: http://www.quittingthesitting.org/ideas.html Which do you think would work for you?

Since we want to be sitting less long after the challenge has ended, it's important to find ways to sit less that work for us and fit into our lives. It can't be something you hate doing or you won't stick with it. It's also important not to try and change too many things at once and make the whole process overwhelmingly hard.

Today's Challenge: read this blog post: http://www.quittingthesitting.org/simple-plan-to-sitt-less and then select the one action you will prioritize this month. What's your “One Thing?”

Please Note: In order to increase the likelihood that your chosen activity becomes a habit, it's important to attach this new activity to something you already do everyday or something that happens to you everyday. The “old” activity serves as a cue or reminder to do the new habit. For example you might decide that “Every time the phone rings I will stand up and move around” or “After I write an email, I will stand up and proofread it before I hit the send button.” In these cases, the phone ringing and the written email serves as reminders to do the new activity.

Supplemental Reading:
James Clear's The Scientific Argument for Mastering One Thing at a Time: http://jamesclear.com/master-one-thing

bdgfn

Auna, the link to Today's Challenge is incorrect. The end of the URL, after the / should be simple-plan-to-sit-less. There is one to many "t's" in your link.

bdgfn

My job is such that the two "suggestions" are not feasible. What is feasible, however, and something that has worked for me in the past with other habits, is setting a timer and then doing what the timer is set for. In this case, I will set a timer to get up every hour and take a walk around the building, either outside, physically walking around the building, or if it is raining hard, walking around inside the building. Both will require stairs as well, so an added benefit.

CaliforniaAJ

I wonder if this can work as an aversion therapy? I waste far too much time each day browsing ebay. I sell on ebay, so I am always logged in, but if I have a spare 10 mins, I browse items (that I don't need!) to buy.
I am going to try a 'WALK AWAY FROM THE LAPTOP' approach. If I find I am browsing to buy, I will put my laptop down and get up and find something to do, like putting away the laundry, emptying the dishwasher, watering the plants, etc. All those little jobs that I tell myself I will do later 'next time I get up'.

oolou

A small thing but probably something I can continue to do as a habit, is when I make a cup of tea, to spend the time walking while the kettle is boiling and the tea is brewing, instead of sitting down and waiting. I drink a lot of tea so this could almost be an extra half an hour of walking a day ^^

CaliforniaAJ

oolou wrote: »

A small thing but probably something I can continue to do as a habit, is when I make a cup of tea, to spend the time walking while the kettle is boiling and the tea is brewing, instead of sitting down and waiting. I drink a lot of tea so this could almost be an extra half an hour of walking a day ^^

I do this too! I have a step from my kitchen to my laundry room. While my Nespresso is dispensing, I do step ups or calf raises, rather than just looking out the window at the view

themedalist

Everyone, the correct link to use for today's challenge is:

http://www.quittingthesitting.org/simple-plan-to-sit-less

I added an interim page so the originally posted link won't fail.

Thanks for letting us know, @bdgfn

themedalist

bdgfn wrote: »

My job is such that the two "suggestions" are not feasible. What is feasible, however, and something that has worked for me in the past with other habits, is setting a timer and then doing what the timer is set for. In this case, I will set a timer to get up every hour and take a walk around the building, either outside, physically walking around the building, or if it is raining hard, walking around inside the building. Both will require stairs as well, so an added benefit.

Setting a timer is a great cue to trigger the new habit! I did this as well when I wanted to ensure I got up every hour...I set an alarm on my Fitbit. It didn't take too long before I didn't need the alarm. I just got up automatically. I've since changed the time interval to 30 minutes. Sometimes I'll just stand up and shift positions, but most often I try to walk for a minute or two.

Also, there are "reminders to move" apps that you can download for your phone. Another option. Whatever you choose as your "One Thing", please make it something you'll enjoy or at least don't mind doing. It's hard to make something a habit if you fundamentally don't like doing it.

themedalist

CaliforniaAJ wrote: »

I wonder if this can work as an aversion therapy? I waste far too much time each day browsing ebay. I sell on ebay, so I am always logged in, but if I have a spare 10 mins, I browse items (that I don't need!) to buy.
I am going to try a 'WALK AWAY FROM THE LAPTOP' approach. If I find I am browsing to buy, I will put my laptop down and get up and find something to do, like putting away the laundry, emptying the dishwasher, watering the plants, etc. All those little jobs that I tell myself I will do later 'next time I get up'.

Awesome idea! Ebay may not like it, but I sure do!

themedalist

oolou wrote: »

A small thing but probably something I can continue to do as a habit, is when I make a cup of tea, to spend the time walking while the kettle is boiling and the tea is brewing, instead of sitting down and waiting. I drink a lot of tea so this could almost be an extra half an hour of walking a day ^^

Great idea! It's so easy to work in a little more activity into our day if we just get a little creative!

themedalist

So I've been mulling over what my "One Thing" will be for this month and I've got it! (thanks to my friend Lee who is also a Boot Camp participant)

I've become a big fan of the Udemy video classes, especially when they go on sale for $10 or $15 dollars as they always do. I've acquired a small collection of classes I want to take, but just haven't found the time. I will this month! I will work through my video collection and will watch them on my iPad while walking slowly on my treadmill or even standing up. Each lesson is generally under 5 minutes, so it's easy to do in chunks. The first video class I'll be doing is an "Intro to Writing Music Using the 6-Chord Method". As a new guitarist, I'm pretty excited!

LogR4Life

The James Clear article was SO interesting!!! I can attest to the habit becoming automatic -- I find it true with my walking. An after dinner walk now is something I look forward to and EXPECT to do. The same with a morning walk in Arizona -- it is just "something I do".

vikinglander

I have already committed to parking in the furthest space from the door at the office, and to using stairs instead of elevator for anything less than four flights (for now).

Since at the moment, my project is in start-up mode and for now I sit and do spreadsheets and other database prep, the emails and phone calls are minimal. I like @bdgfn 's idea of setting a timer to get up every hour and walk. The building I'm in was designed by the CEO of the original occupant and he built in a 'running track' around the inside perimeter. It's since been converted to just hallway but it still goes all the way around the (quite large) building; it's about a 5 minute walk.

So yeah, a five minute walk every hour, with a timer set for it; and maybe some stretches before sitting back down.

I'm in.

Thanks Denise!

77tes

James Clear is terrific!! And choosing one thing to work on is a clever way to eat an elephant. (How do you eat an elephant?...One bite at a time.) Because I've participated in the Sit Less Boot Camp before, I've had some success with this strategy.

Last boot camp I vowed to get 250 steps per hour for 9 hours per day, and most days I hit that goal. This boot camp, my one thing will be to get up and move every half hour. That will help me break those 57 minute periods on the computer.

I was out dancing until the wee smalls last night, so today I'll be taking it easy because my dogs are barking. Still, I'll try to rise and walk a bit every 30 minutes!

Nikion901

I'm another fan of James Clear, I've liked his page on Facebook, and also get emails when he writes a new blog.
I had no problem getting into today's challenge from the original link ... and I have come up with what I want to focus on as my one way to sit less for the month of October.

One of my more recently developed bad habits that I want to break is letting the kitchen KP slide after dinner. It used to be, even after working a long day at the office, that I never left the kitchen after dinner until the dishes were all done and put away, the counter and table top were straightened up a needed, the floor was swept and the trash put out to the bin. Somewhere along the way of being a retired lazy-bone I have let that habit go and replaced it with letting the dishes pile up or hang out in the dishwasher and don't even see the crumbs on the floor anymore! So ... that's what I am focusing on ... back to my old routine of cooking, eating, cleaning up completely before settling into an evening of relaxation activities.

This works nicely into developing the habit of sitting less, and has a triple positive affect ... more movement, cleaner home and less sitting!

faw1001

I will take a walk around the block every morning/lunch/afternoon break. And I will stop ignoring my Samsung gear fit when it buzzes me every 50 mins to get off my lazy butt

DianaJaneD

Hi all! I do walk my dog every day, so I will use this habit to walk a bit more. Here's how: When I feel it's time to turn around and head home, I'll extend the walk a few minutes longer.

glenda_ml

I liked the suggestion by oolou about using the time while the kettle boils to do something extra. My job involves a lot of walking (nursing) so I am going to use this time to do some stretches.

typeitdaily

I'm going to stretch or do my squats etc. throughout the day,which makes me get up and move while waiting for jobs to download.

hollyhock1009

After joining the Sitless Bootcamp last May, I became very aware of how much I was sitting, so I have worked on being mobile more often, plus I have gotten into daily exercising. So I was racking my brain trying to figure out how to increase what I was already doing, since I'm retired and can't attach something to work.

I came up with an idea while I made my supper, looking around my kitchen. As I read others' ideas, I see that @Nikion901 and I are almost on the same wavelength. I too have neglected keeping up with my dishes - leaving them all until next morning. It was a habit I was trying to work on. But now with the incentive of the SLBC, I have decided to just get up and wash the dish(es) after each time I eat - whether it be a meal or a snack. So 2 benefits - my dishes will always be caught up - and I have 3-4 extra opportunities to stand every day.

darvit207

My goal will be to get up every half hour and walk around while on the phone. With the ultimate goal to get 250 steps per hour.

themedalist

These are terrific "one thing"s! I really like how you've all taken the concept and applied it to make it work in your life. There's no one way or "one thing" that will work for everyone.

And it's great having so many Boot Camp alumni joining us again!

HappyAnna2014

I am a Boot Camp alum from April...and I'm still moving! So, there wasn't anything "easy" to come up with for my "one thing." But, I've felt like such a slug stepping into my car to go places because you don't burn many calories sitting on your duff driving around. So I've decided to get in some extra steps before I leave the house: before I get into the car to go somewhere, I'm going to walk all over my yard picking up sticks. The yard is always full of them, and they need to be picked up. I'll rack up some extra movement every time I leave my house, and I enjoy being in my yard.

taxmom9093

Now that I am full into online instruction season, it is waaaay too easy to sit down to teach and find myself still there hours later after set up, class, after class duties and final emails to the students. My goal is to set up early enough to take a walking break before the students get there, take a walk after the students leave before finishing the paperwork and set a timer before I start student emails. This may sound like more than 1 thing, but it all falls under the category of taking a walking break after finishing one task before starting the next.

CherylPierce

My goal is to rack up at least 10,000 steps on a daily basis. The only way I can accomplish that is to get up from my desk and walk every hour while at work. I get ice, which is at the other end of the building. I use any bathroom other than the one across the hall. I walk to talk to co-workers instead of calling or emailing them. Let's do this!!