Healthy Habits: Incidental Exercise

Experts agree that to maintain good health, at least 30 minutes of normal daily physical activity should accompany your accumulated 2.5 hours of weekly vigorous exercise. But our modern lives have us completely at a disadvantage when it comes to being active. Progress and technology have made our lives so convenient, little physical effort is needed to get through a typical day. Gone are the days when we had to churn butter or chop wood to heat our home. We no longer have to use our muscles to open the garage door. We don’t even have to walk to the mailbox to send a letter—we just click “send.”
The amount of “incidental exercise” we receive has declined steadily over the years. Making the decision to replace life’s conveniences with a little good old-fashioned effort seems to go against reason. Why trudge up the stairs when there’s a perfectly good elevator steps away? In isolation, short bouts of physical exertion are inconsequential. But when you add up your daily total, the benefits to your health and wellbeing are significant. To increase your amount of incidental exercise, you’ll have to make a conscious effort to go against what feels normal to you. But just a few small tweaks in your daily routine will cause you to move more, making an impact in your overall health.

Listed below are simple ways to increase daily activity for you and your family. When it comes to your little ones, you may be thinking, more activity? I can barely get my kids to settle down! But remember, this is about establishing healthy habits for the future. Your kids won’t always be so full of energy. The younger you start, the easier it will be to make it seem normal. Teens will be more resistant. But the most difficult one to convince may be your spouse!
 
Examples of Incidental Exercise:

• Park far away from a store in the parking lot instead of driving around waiting for the closest spot. After shopping, push your cart all the way back to the front of the store, rather than leaving it in the lot.
• Practice the 3-Floor Rule: If your destination is 3 floors or less, take the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator. If it’s more than 3 floors, get off at least one floor away and take the stairs the rest of the way.
• Use a cordless phone and walk while you talk. You could make this one a requirement for your teens that spend a lot of time on the phone.
• If walking the dog is part of your daily routine, add an extra block or a steep hill to your normal route.
• When on an outing at the park, shopping mall, soccer game, etc., walk the long way to your destination at the location instead of taking the direct route.
• Put extra effort into sweeping, gardening, and other chores by adding energetic music. Dance while you work. Young kids will exert themselves more by picking up their toys to fast songs.
• While watching a show on TV, get up every commercial break to do something. Get the mail, put away a few dishes, let the dog out. Kids can get up off the couch during commercial breaks to go text a friend or lay out their school clothes.
• Although you’re sure to receive some protesting, you can place the remote control next to the TV, requiring people to get up to change the channel.
• Put away folded laundry one piece at a time. Station the basket in a central room and walk back and forth to the basket to retrieve more clothes.
• While visiting the park or beach, jog rather than walk whenever you need to hit the bathroom or throw something away in the trashcan.
• Emulate city-dwellers by walking to your local store or restaurant whenever possible.

To be successful in increasing your family’s level of incidental exercise, you’ll have to be a disciplined role model. Be committed to demanding just a little bit of extra effort from yourself in everything you do. When I’m tempted to leave my shopping cart with the others in the parking lot, I say to myself, “Don’t be lazy, Kristen.” That works for me. Find what strategies work for you and incorporate them into your daily life. Incidental exercise can’t take the place of your required workouts, but it’s another element to add to your wellness plan. So buck up and take the stairs!