Your Sit Less Accomplishments! Please Share Them Here!
themedalist
Posts: 3,218 Member
Hi All, one of our Boot Camp participants, @Nikion901, made a terrific suggestion that we are implementing right now. Let's share our accomplishments, big and small, as we make progress in sitting less and moving more. Auna and I can't wait to hear about your successes!
Whether it's progress on your "One Thing" or a daily challenge that just struck a chord with you, please post them here!
Whether it's progress on your "One Thing" or a daily challenge that just struck a chord with you, please post them here!
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I'll start. Although it's not my "one thing" this month, I'm getting better at standing up when I proofread an email I'm about to send. I'm also standing to read my morning e-newsletters. Every bit of less sitting counts!2
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So, my "one thing" is getting up from my desk at least once per hour to walk around the building. I actually started this yesterday (10/4) with hourly reminders from Outlook. I noticed two things almost immediately. First, my knees were not sore or stiff when I got up to do anything, especially in the afternoon. As I have gotten older, I have found this happening, and it was so nice to be able to get up and go without even thinking about it. The second thing is that I was three days into the month and had not hit 10k steps once, but yesterday I had exceeded 10k steps before I got home from work. And that was without a long walk during the day! Winning!3
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So, my "one thing" is getting up from my desk at least once per hour to walk around the building. I actually started this yesterday (10/4) with hourly reminders from Outlook. I noticed two things almost immediately. First, my knees were not sore or stiff when I got up to do anything, especially in the afternoon. As I have gotten older, I have found this happening, and it was so nice to be able to get up and go without even thinking about it. The second thing is that I was three days into the month and had not hit 10k steps once, but yesterday I had exceeded 10k steps before I got home from work. And that was without a long walk during the day! Winning!
I've noticed the same thing about soreness and stiffness. Walking seems to be a natural lubricant and it doesn't take much to reap the benefits.
This is terrific progress @bdgfn! Thanks for sharing!3 -
I think that I'm going to start going back to the gym, beginning this weekend. I have a membership that I rarely use, and this might help with my lose skin from the 25 lbs that I lost this year so far.2
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My one thing - getting up every half hour is proving to be quite a difficult challenge! I felt quite proud of myself that I managed it in a meeting on Wednesday, but when I am focused on my work at the computer, I might not look up for an hour. I shall keep working on this one
Thinking about why this is so hard made me realize something. My difficulty with this challenge is actually the result of the way I figured out to "cheat" on my previous goal to get 250 steps in every hour. I quickly learned that I could combine the two hours together and walk across the top of the hour ( I would walk from 11:57-12:03). That way I could work in almost 2 hour intervals.
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I haven't remembered to walk every time I wait for the kettle to boil and the tea to brew but I have been remembering in the evening when I tend to sit the most. Really good to know about how frequently you need to move to prevent the stiffness. That will be another good motivator for me. Thanks for sharing that.2
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My goal to get up every 30 minutes is going pretty well; I'm excited that I think I am developing a natural timer in my head, starting to automatically notice it is about time to move again. It's also hopeful that movement breeds movement: it is a little easier to find hidden moments here and there to move around, like waiting for the coffee to brew or the microwave to run (thanks for the tip waiting on the tea kettle). It's exciting to note little things adding up, even if it is just walking around the kitchen table or going up the stairs an extra time.
I have limited energy to work with, so quite honestly it has been a little bit of a challenge to learn to pace myself even with these little things, but I am thankful to find it is possible with a little balance and it's great to be learning ways to move more. It is encouraging to hear what others are doing and be in this together! 2 -
My goal of getting up and moving every hour is going well. Even at a two day conference this week still made my "hourly" steps each hour. Sometimes I find I need to set my alarm for x:55 so I can get moving and get two hours of "steps in" but then that means I'm walking for about 20 minutes at a time instead of 10 minutes multiple times per day. Getting my heart going longer. Makes me feel better even if it averages out to be about the same amount of movement.2
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I followed Thursday's alternate challenge advice, just for the fun of it, and spent some fun time coming up with 25 activity challenges to do via a Bingo game board for the next 25 days. Some of them are very simple, others much harder, and all are activities I have done in the past couple of months as I try different activities to see how they feel.
I'm actually looking forward to doing this, and hoping my motivation lead to actual follow-through, cause that's the muscle I really need to work out . the follow-through muscle!3 -
I followed Thursday's alternate challenge advice, just for the fun of it, and spent some fun time coming up with 25 activity challenges to do via a Bingo game board for the next 25 days. Some of them are very simple, others much harder, and all are activities I have done in the past couple of months as I try different activities to see how they feel.
I'm actually looking forward to doing this, and hoping my motivation lead to actual follow-through, cause that's the muscle I really need to work out . the follow-through muscle!
@Nikion901, motivation is a very fickle thing and honestly, I don't think it's necessary at all. That's the beautiful part of developing sit-less habits (that run automatically or almost automatically) and sit-less routines (things we do with some degree of awareness)...no motivation is required! As an example, I used to web surf sitting down while using my laptop. I discovered that I can do almost all of my internet stuff, including social media and even emails, while walking slowly on my treadmill using my iPad. This single change has had the greatest reduction on my sitting and a corresponding increase in my activity level. And I don't have to feel "motivated"...if I want to do internet stuff I take my iPad and get on the treadmill. That's the deal. I've done it so many times, day in and day out, that I don't think about it anymore. It's a habit.
This is just one application and I realize not everyone has a treadmill (but honestly...if you look a bit you can find some that are practically free at garage sales and on Craig's list!), but the concept is widely applicable to everyone. Becoming aware of how you are sitting can lead to creative interventions and ways to modify it...do the same activity, but be sitting less.1 -
Going to the gym before work for spinning or lifting is my one thing. I've made it 3 times since I started this challenge. Plan to go at least 3 times per week and hopefully 4. It gets my blood flowing and gives me energy. My job is behind a desk so not as easy to get excercise. Will also start parking far away. Easy peasy.2
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allmannerofthings wrote: »I haven't remembered to walk every time I wait for the kettle to boil and the tea to brew but I have been remembering in the evening when I tend to sit the most. Really good to know about how frequently you need to move to prevent the stiffness. That will be another good motivator for me. Thanks for sharing that.
@allmannerofthings, You might post a sticky note reminder next to your kettle. The reminder to do the new habit is important, particularly when starting a new habit. The more times you repeat the habit doing it over and over again, the more ingrained and on "autopilot" it becomes. My guess is you won't need the sticky reminder for very long. It won't be too long before the act of starting the kettle is enough to trigger the walking habit.0 -
My goal to get up every 30 minutes is going pretty well; I'm excited that I think I am developing a natural timer in my head, starting to automatically notice it is about time to move again. It's also hopeful that movement breeds movement: it is a little easier to find hidden moments here and there to move around, like waiting for the coffee to brew or the microwave to run (thanks for the tip waiting on the tea kettle). It's exciting to note little things adding up, even if it is just walking around the kitchen table or going up the stairs an extra time. I have limited energy to work with, so quite honestly it has been a little bit of a challenge to learn to pace myself even with these little things, but I am thankful to find it is possible with a little balance and it's great to be learning ways to move more. It is encouraging to hear what others are doing and be in this together!
Great post, @M310. I can't emphasize it enough, every single movement and activity counts! Especially for those who are the most sedentary, small, regular breaks away from the chair have a big impact. Simply standing up and stretching a bit after sitting for 30 minutes or so makes a big difference. Of course the more exercise and activity one does the better (within reason of course) but regular breaks from the chair are especially important.
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Great job, Everyone! I love reading your updates! Please keep them coming!1
