Statistically by this time of the year most people have failed at their new years resolutions. Only 8% of people achieve their new years resolutions in the end. So what are you to do if by this time you’ve already failed? I suggest you just try to not make it a thing and just readdress how you want to achieve your health goals this year. I’ve already written a general guide for simplifying Paleo so it sticks, but how can we simplify our movement and fitness goals too?
The tips I’ve listed below aren’t necessarily for people who are die hard cross fit folks or people who have no problem sticking to a fitness schedule – these tips are for people who want to move more in general, since moving frequently at a slow pace is what we are supposed to do, but have a hard time finding the time to do it in their regimented work schedules and such. Think of these tips as a way to look at your normal routine and how to weave in more movement throughout your day.
1. Park further away
This one is where you have to make the non lazy decision when you’re parking at the grocery store, work, mall or Disneyland. If you park far away from where you’re going you’ll definitely be adding more steps to your daily step count. So to do this all you have to do is stop hunting for the closest spot at the place you’re headed to and park in the spot far away from where you’re going. Finding a spot won’t be a problem because most people hate parking far away.
2. Take the stairs
Whenever you can, try to take the stairs. It’s better for you and gets you moving more. Plus you won’t have to sit around and wait for elevators and have awkward starring non conversations with the people in the elevator. If you take the stairs it’s easy and fast to get to where you need to go.
3. Go to a farmers market
Most farmers markets around me are on Saturday mornings, so this is a great alternative to do at the end of your long work week. Instead of just being a couch potato on the weekends, try to get up and out of the house and to a farmers market. This will ensure that you’re moving around checking out all that the local farmers have to offer. Most of all, not only are you getting in more walking for the day, you hopefully will find some pretty great food. Here you can connect directly with farmers for pastured eggs and more affordable options for grass fed meats and such. If your budget still doesn’t afford those high priced items, the produce will still blow anything from your conventional grocery store out of the water. Check out the fruit samples or tomato samples and notice the difference in taste. Even if you don’t buy anything, you still got out of the house and moved!
4. Go down every aisle
For a grocery store, I normally say avoid going down the center aisles and just stick to the perimeter of the store where real food is. But in any other case that you’re shopping, just take the time to go down every aisle to add more movement to your day. Be cautious with this one if you’re trying to stick to a budget when shopping because stuff will always throw itself at you convincing you that you need the newest vacuum or lawn mower. The marketing people get paid big bucks to convince you that you need the latest and greatest.
5. Take breaks
During you’re regular work day, hopefully you already have a standing desk, but you should also consider taking a few breaks throughout your day to go for a walk or something. Just break away. We weren’t designed to stare at computers all day and we need vitamin D. So take a break from your work and try to move around a little bit. Go with a friend or take some time by yourself and even listen to a podcast. It will make the time pass more quickly. It’s a win win.
6. Drink more water
Now I don’t know if we really need to be drinking 8 glasses of water a day, since we eat a good amount of vegetables and salads, a lot of our liquid will be coming from that. I normally drink about 3 liters of water a day, but that’s just because I really like water. That might even be too much water. But guess what… the more water I drink, the more I have to break away from my desk and use the restroom. It may sound silly, but the more water you drink the more that water needs somewhere to go – which will force you to move around more.
7. Get a dog
I love dogs. We have a Boston Terrier. Now having a dog doesn’t guarantee you’ll move more, it just means you should move more. This is assuming that if you have a dog, you should be taking that dog for a walk or playing with it in the yard. Not everyone does this or even has time to do this, but you can definitely use the excuse of going out for a walk with the dog – if you actually have a dog. It allows for you to contemplate what you do after dinner with the family: do you turn on the TV or do you go for a walk with the family and the dog.
Remember we aren’t shooting for perfection here. These ideas won’t get you ripped like you would be if you’re doing cross fit, but moving frequently at a slow pace will make you overall more Primal and healthier. So lastly, pick up a fitness band or use your smart phone to track your steps and see if you can get to 10,000 steps a day. Most people are around 5,000 steps a day and considered sedentary. That’s not good – get up and move. If you have any more ideas on how we can move more throughout the day, feel free to list them below in the comments.
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