YOU CAN EXERCISE EVERYDAY WITHOUT A PLAN

You can’t maintain good health without regular exercise. Also, almost every non-communicable disease can be prevented or managed with regular exercise.

Using the gym, playing some sports, and observing routine home workouts are the most popular ways of exercising regularly. However, many neighborhoods don’t have any nearby gym or sport center, and a large proportion of every population find themselves too busy to take these options too.

But there’s a way out—incidental exercise. Yes. You heard me right—unplanned regular exercise.

Incidental exercise refers to those little body movements and physical activities that results from our daily choices, and accumulate over time to give the body sufficient, healthy physical activity.

What did you do in the last 24 hours? Did you make choices that gave your body the opportunity to get exercise? Maybe you would if you know what to do.

I’ll give you 15 ideas that will help you increase your incidental exercise index and achieve your health goals.

1.     Take the stairs instead of the elevator.

2.     Ignore your remote and walk to your TV and sound system.

3.     Always park farther away from the shopping centers or mall entrances. Walk some more.

4.     Play with your family especially with the kids.

5.     Take a sight seeing tour around your neighborhood.

6.     Stand in the bus or train when you travel over short distances rather than sit.

7.     Do your cooking, cleaning and laundry.

8.     Walk your dog.

9.     Get off the bus at an earlier stop and walk the rest.

10.  Step away from your workstation and walk around during your lunch break.

11.  Ditch the phone. Shut down your email. Walk to your colleague at work.

12.  Get a table tennis or pool table.

13.  Cycle rather than drive.

14.  Move and stretch after every hour at work.

15.  Stand to give presentations.

Make a daily habit of exercising your whole body. Incidental exercise is an easy way to do this without altering your schedules or waiting for a special gym session. Lack of physical activity is a major risk factor for hypertension and diabetes.

Incidental exercise could be the difference between you and the patient next door. Create new ideas to keep moving your body throughout the day.

-Ngwoke Ifeanyi

Northeast Regional Healthcare Coordinator, HFU

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