Content provided by the Health & Wellness Team at GBS Benefits
Mindless movement is activity you don’t need to allot separate time for and can conveniently fit into your daily tasks. Simply put, it’s adding more movement into your day to create an active lifestyle. Increasing your daily activity level by creating small habits has the potential to improve overall health. Benefits include improvements in sleep, productivity, mental health, and more independence and longevity in older age.
Complete five activities within each category to add more movement into your day.
At Home
- Enjoy gardening as a way to stay active outdoors.
- Turn cleaning into a cardio session by adding music and increasing your heart rate.
- Have fun playing with your kids or pets to get moving.
- Wash your car by hand to engage your muscles and burn calories.
- Put things away rather than putting them down to increase your daily steps.
- Consider fostering a pet to incorporate more activity and companionship into your routine.
- Stretch before bed to relax your muscles and improve flexibility.
- Wake up 20 minutes earlier to start your day with a refreshing exercise or movement routine.
At Work
- Incorporate biking or walking into your routine for nearby activities.
- Hold walking meetings to combine productivity with physical activity.
- Park farther away from your destination to increase your steps.
- Take a longer route to the restroom and breakroom to add extra movement to your day.
- Use a timer to prompt standing, walking, or stretching breaks throughout your workday.
- If available, use a standing desk or move to a countertop for periods of standing work.
- Take a walk during your lunch break to refresh and energize.
- Choose the stairs instead of elevators whenever possible.
- Swap your desk chair for an exercise ball to engage core muscles while sitting.
Helpful Tips
- Bring an extra pair of shoes to the office.
- Track your steps. Make a competition with yourself!
