This article is the fifth and final installment of my series on various
steps I am taking to improve my diet. If
you missed the earlier topics (Meal Planning, Eating a Rainbow, Water Intake,
and Food Logging), you may read them here on my blog. This week I will address increasing your daily
activity level. My generation (and the
ones on either side of me) are no longer working outside in manual labor jobs
the way they did in earlier generations.
We sit at desk jobs, work on computers, own vacuums that go on their
own, and heck, some of us even have cars that drive without us. We are no longer the active society of our
great grandparents.
Growing up I was active, I was involved in sports and spent a lot of
time outdoors, but after college my life changed. I sit at a desk for eight hours, go home, and
eventually find myself doing more sitting.
I realized how truly inactive I had become when I purchased my first
fitness tracker. I was shocked at how
few steps was actually taking during the day.
I assumed I was getting somewhat close to the recommended 10,000 steps
each day. I was wrong. I will not recommend
a particular brand or type of fitness tracker, because I have actually tried
several and found that they all work very well.
Finding the one with the community that can hold me accountable is what
I have found to be the key component.
For people looking to improve their overall well being and increasing
their activity level, I do recommend getting some sort of device that monitors
your movement. If you have questions
about which to get, I will be happy to give my opinion (if you really want it)
just give me a call or shoot me a quick email.
The first thing I tell people after they get an activity tracker is to
wear it for a week or so without doing more than normal and find out your
current activity level. After you have a
good idea of your normal daily average you can start to increase your daily
goal. If you currently take 4,000 steps
in your normal daily activities, set a goal to take 5,000 steps. Keep in mind that one mile is roughly 2,000
steps. So that recommendation of 10,000
per day is equivalent to approximately five miles. Take small increases over a decent period of
time. If you jump in with too much of an
increase you will burn yourself out and then you are back to where you
started. Go slow, do not try be an
Olympic athlete overnight, you will end up hurt or burnt out. Set a reminder on your phone to go off every
hour that tells you to stand up and go walk around the block. Do little things that will eventually add up
to big things.
It is always a good idea to check with your physician to make sure you
are able to increase your activity level.
Annual wellness exams really are a good thing. Please do not wake up one morning and go jog
a 10k after sitting at the computer for 10 years. I promise, it will not turn
out well! Listen to your body. Push yourself in small increments, but listen
to what your body tells you. If
something hurts, stop doing it. Get familiar
with the language your body speaks and create an open line of communication.
As always, if you have questions, concerns, or just want to chat,
please feel free to come by the Hunt County AgriLife Extension office, 2217
Washington Street, Greenville, Texas, 75401, call (903) 455-9885, or email
Sarah.Latham@ag.tamu.edu.
