Find little ways to trick yourself into doing it.
It can pay big dividends.
Research suggests that including just a little bit of activity into your day, about 30 minutes, or even just 4,000 steps, can reduce blood pressure and improve heart health.
So, how do you do it?
One way is to park further from where you’re going. If you absolutely have to drive somewhere, try parking down the block or further from the entrance in the lot. Those few minutes it will take to get to your destination can add some valuable movement.
You could, of course, leave the car at home altogether.
Another trick to get more activity is to plant a garden in your yard. It might not seem like it, but working to maintain it – pruning, picking, digging soil, etc. – is all high-quality activity that can keep you moving.
If a garden seems like too much work, then stick to a cleaning routine for your home. Wiping the counters, cleaning the floors, and keeping your place tidy is all time spent up and moving instead of being sedentary.
Lastly, you can use that boring time between your favorite shows to get up and move around. Most cable TV shows lend about 8 minutes of commercials to the run time, so getting up to move around for a couple of minutes will keep the blood flowing.
If you’re more of a streamer, don’t let the episodes run back-to-back. If you’re watching more than one episode, stop it after the first one, get up and do something for 5-8 minutes, then return to the sofa.