Happy Valentine’s Day!
Because we know you love your body but you don’t always love formal exercise per say, we have a body valentine list for you… Essential Body Loving Non-exercise Activities:
Tried and True:
Take the stairs whenever possible — Case in point: I did a little experiment at the Detroit airport last Fall while waiting for a connection. I walked from security to my gate (long way) using all the amenities (escalators, moving sidewalks, etc). Using my trusty iPhone pedometer I recorded 100 steps to the tune of 17 calories. Why that’s barely one grape worth of calories. Then I repeated the exact same trip using none of the moving parts except my own. This time I recorded 562 steps for a whopping 100 calories! And that doesn’t count the extra exertion I earned climbing stairs with my backpack on (pedometers can’t measure intensity).
Park in the farthest parking spot — better yet, park a few blocks away and use those public sidewalks your hard earned tax dollars have funded.
Stand in the place where you are (think R.E.M.’s hit, “Stand”) — standing helps stave off the angst of prolonged sitting. Anchor yourself to your email send button or something similar. Vow to stand up every time you click the send button. Come on, how many minutes does that take. Add in picking apples (reaching up over head alternating arms), or a simple over the head arm stretch. If you’re really ambitious, add in a lunge or warrior pose (see our Nov. 15, 2010 Stretch and Strengthen post).
For Meeting Relief:
Pump up your feet — while sitting in meetings, flex your ankles and then extend, so you’re pumping the arteries and veins in your lower legs (moving the blood stave’s off potentially dangerous blood clots).
Knee-Knee, Hip-Hip — also while in meetings, extend your right lower leg (flexing the knee), then your left, repeating 10 times. Then lift your right thigh with a bent knee, then with a straight leg. Repeat on the left leg.
These should help keep you busy and loving your body for a while.
Let us know what else you’re doing to love yourself and your body.
See you on the PATH!