As a Whole, We Aren't Active Enough...

As a Whole, We Aren't Active Enough...

It pains me to say it, but it's true, we really aren't active enough. I started to realize this a few years ago when I got my first FitBit, the step goal was 10,000 steps, and I was walking about 8,000 steps a day. It sounds like a lot, but it really isn't. After being aware that I wasn't moving as much as I thought I was, I took initiative to start moving more and started to hit the 10,000 steps goal.

But then, there was an update from the FitBit app on my phone that the new step goal FitBit was setting for everyone was 8,000 steps a day, that's about 1.5 miles less a day that they were encouraging people to get moving. 8,000 steps is equal to about 3.5 miles a day, which still sounds like a lot, but you can reach it and exceed it easily if you make a few simple changes.

Why do we need to get more active?

With obesity rates on the rise and the Center's for Disease Control predicting that by 2030, 33% of all American's will have diabetes. That number is staggering for a health professional like myself, but for anyone that has a loved one with Type II Diabetes in particular. Type II Diabetes is a lifestyle related disease who's risks can be cut with more activity and better nutrition. Type II Diabetes results when not enough insulin is produced by the Beta cells of the pancreas or our own cells have a decreased sensitivity to the insulin that is being secreted. Insulin is the car that transports the sugar in the blood into the cells. The more excess bodyweight we have, the greater the risks are. Most other diseases that occur and develop later on in life are a result of our health and nutrition choices. Heart Disease, Stroke, and Cancer are just some among many who's risks can be reduced with greater physical activity and nutrition. 

How can we get more active?

Most of the time, you don't need to throw on your gym clothes and buy new sneakers to get more active, I like to take my dog on walks to increase activity.  There are simple changes that you can make to your daily life to increase movement and activity. First, stop taking the elevator and seek out the stairs. You burn 5 times more calories taking the stairs than riding in an elevator, not to mention, work more muscles in your legs and butt than riding the elevator. 

You know that trip to the coffee shop you take every morning on your way into work? Stop going through the drive-thru. Most of the time, the line for the drive-thru is a lot longer than the line in-store, and those extra 200 steps you take add up! 

Park farther away from your destination. I don't mean park blocks away from the office, mall or store, but take one of the farther away parking spots and sacrifice the extra 30 seconds it takes to walk in as an excuse to get more steps in. It also lessens the chance of someone hitting your car with a cart or their car door!

If you're about to send an email to a coworker in your office, step away from the computer and go walk to their desk and talk in person. Not only will it give you excuse to step away from the computer to rest your eyes and refresh, but you'll also get extra steps in and you can get an immediate response from the person rather than waiting for a response!

Lastly, sacrifice a little bit of your lunch hour and go for a walk. It can be around the building, up and down the stairs, or a loop you mapped out around work. This is something I try to do every day. There's a mile loop around the building that I walk every lunch time, it takes 30 minutes for me to walk the mile and I burn about 160 calories; a lot more than what I would burn just sitting at my desk. 

Try to integrate these easy changes into your daily life and help yourself reduce the  risk of chronic disease.