Making Sitting Less a Habit: Challenge 3
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themedalist
Posts: 3,212 Member
Theme: Exercise and Movement
Challenge: Making Sitting Less a Habit (Part 2)
Third Challenge: Make Your Day Harder
My goal in this Sit Less series is to give you 3 specific strategies that will help you make sitting less and moving more easier and just part of what you do naturally .....a true lifestyle change. Our Wednesday challenge last week was focused on the first strategy, our daily routine and selecting a "One Thing". Please continue to work on your One Thing as we add in a new component:
2. Look for opportunities to increase your step count and add more movement into your day. These opportunities may be sporadic and not part of your daily routine, but they happen with a frequency and regularity that makes them something you can count on and use to your advantage.
A colleague might email you about an issue and you respond by going to talk to them in person. You might need to purchase something from the shop in the mall located on the second floor, so you take the stairs and not the escalator. And grocery stores and other shops you frequent almost always have plenty of parking for people willing to walk a minute or two. Be one of those people.
Dr. Mike Evans wants us all to take these opportunities to be more active through a campaign he calls, "Make Your Day Harder". Of course, on the surface, "Make Your Day Harder" sounds like the worst marketing slogan ever. Who would want to do that? Yet there's a lot of medical research indicating that these small steps have a disproportionately big impact in reducing our risk of diseases and chronic illnesses. By making our days a little harder, we will be making our lives easier. I'm in for that and I hope you are too!
Today's Challenge: Watch the "Make Your Day Harder" video posted below and then seize any new opportunities that come your way to add a little more movement into your day. Keep practicing your chosen Sit-Less action (your One Thing)..both are important in reducing the time spent sitting.
Fourth Challenge This Wednesday: Our final challenge will be posted this Wednesday. Look for that!
Challenge: Making Sitting Less a Habit (Part 2)
Third Challenge: Make Your Day Harder
My goal in this Sit Less series is to give you 3 specific strategies that will help you make sitting less and moving more easier and just part of what you do naturally .....a true lifestyle change. Our Wednesday challenge last week was focused on the first strategy, our daily routine and selecting a "One Thing". Please continue to work on your One Thing as we add in a new component:
2. Look for opportunities to increase your step count and add more movement into your day. These opportunities may be sporadic and not part of your daily routine, but they happen with a frequency and regularity that makes them something you can count on and use to your advantage.
A colleague might email you about an issue and you respond by going to talk to them in person. You might need to purchase something from the shop in the mall located on the second floor, so you take the stairs and not the escalator. And grocery stores and other shops you frequent almost always have plenty of parking for people willing to walk a minute or two. Be one of those people.
Dr. Mike Evans wants us all to take these opportunities to be more active through a campaign he calls, "Make Your Day Harder". Of course, on the surface, "Make Your Day Harder" sounds like the worst marketing slogan ever. Who would want to do that? Yet there's a lot of medical research indicating that these small steps have a disproportionately big impact in reducing our risk of diseases and chronic illnesses. By making our days a little harder, we will be making our lives easier. I'm in for that and I hope you are too!
Today's Challenge: Watch the "Make Your Day Harder" video posted below and then seize any new opportunities that come your way to add a little more movement into your day. Keep practicing your chosen Sit-Less action (your One Thing)..both are important in reducing the time spent sitting.
Fourth Challenge This Wednesday: Our final challenge will be posted this Wednesday. Look for that!
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Another good video. I love this doctor's videos. I know one thing for sure that I can do to make my day harder. When I go shopping, most days I don't need to park in a handicapped space, so on those days when I'm feeling good, I won't. Also, on those shopping trips I won't use a scooter. When I'm feeling good I can just walk around the store and shop.
I am using a Remind Me app set to notify me every hour to get up and move for a minute or two every hour as my One Thing. It's going well and it's working.
I also printed off the 28 day lunge challenge which I will do at my own pace.5 -
Great info and video. I am making an effort to sit less. This week will make sure I walk and get my strength but where I really need to work on is the mindful eating. Good luck everyone.3
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I love this video! I will be consciously looking for ways to make my days harder, starting with parking further from building at work, using the restroom upstairs and taking the stairs, walking to colleagues' desks and talking to them rather than sending emails... just for starters!
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I love this video!! One of the ways I make my day harder is parking in a lot on campus that is farther from my classroom. One day I was getting my stuff out of my car at the far end of a lot when one of the campus safety officers rolled up in his little cart and offered me a lift. I told him I parked there to get the extra steps. He chuckled and said, "Oh, I used to do that."
@OConnell5483, I also take the long way to the restroom as well.4 -
The concept of "making my day harder" surfaces more often than I had expected it to ever since it was a weekly challenge a while ago. I really think that this video was a big part of that. It is a powerful video. And makes a lot of sense.
Yesterday I spent the morning at the dealer having some maintenance as well as a minor repair done on my vehicle. I like both waiting areas because they both have comfy cushioned chairs as well as tall tables where one can either stand or sit at (non cushioned wooden, but still comfortable chairs at the table). Whenever I go there I stand and color while I wait. And I also sit and read at the table when I am tired of standing and coloring, or I walk around.
Yesterday another woman made a comment during our short conversation together when I offered her a spot at the tall table where I was, that 'thank you but she was going to sit in the cushioned chairs. That she was 60 years old and retired now, so she had earned the privilege of sitting comfortably now.' I really wanted to share about what I had been learning, but it was not the right time to do so. It made me sad.
But it also made me happy that at 67 I choose to stand and walk much more often now. (Or sit when I want to.)
Oh, my make my day harder opportunity came yesterday when at the dealer. There are two waiting areas, and the decaf coffee was in the other area. So I filled my cup half way, and when I wanted more I could walk over to the other waiting room to get it
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Another good challenge!!
:flowerforyou:
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This video is awesome. I started a year ago "Sitting Less" when I took to walking outside on my two mini breaks of 15 minutes each. I am a receptionist by trade and sit ALL DAY LONG. It's not easy getting away from a busy switchboard. I have recently started just standing in front of my desk and pacing. Since the phones are constantly ringing, I can't go too far, but standing and stretching or pacing help. So, thanks for this wonderful challenge. I'm so glad to be here. 5
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@texasgardnr good for you! Both of you are right. It is all about choices. You choose what is best for you. Every little thing we do for our health helps.
@SilverSheWolf55 I was a receptionist as well when I was in the workforce and I cannot believe now the amount of time I spent sitting, at work and then at home " resting" for being sitting all day at work. Good for you for making the changes.
I want to thank whoever posted here to put your tennis shoes far from your room or bed, because I have been doing that on purpose around my house just to have another excuse to move.3 -
I'm glad the video has struck a chord with so many of you!
@texasgardnr, I understand the predicament of wanting to say something, but also realizing it's not the right time or place. Excessive sitting has been shown to shorten peoples lives. When you make a conscious choice to sit less and make it a regular practice, you are statistically shifting the odds in your favor. The odds of having a longer life time with fewer diseases and chronic illnesses. I will continue to try and make my day harder, so that I stack the odds in my favor of making my life easier.
So glad you joined us, @SilverSheWolf55!4 -
Thank you @themedalist and @prgirl39mfp for the welcome! I am soooo happy to be here and learn new healthy habits.
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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=whPuRLil4c0
