MOM's the word!

Moments of movements

Top 10 tips to an integrative lifestyle without ever going to the gym! 
​Coach StephB’s Top 10 Tips to keep moving through the day, MOM’s the word!!

I have a full day of work, running around on errands. What are the simple ways to make sure I am moving enough for the day?
 
Coach StephB’s Top 10 Tips to keep moving through the day, MOM’s the word!!
 
As a fitness & wellness coach I work with a variety of individuals that all have a common denominator, aside from the fact everyone wants to feel fit and fabulous, everyone is always too busy. So one of the first things I do when I sit down with my clients is go over their schedule. While the reality might be that some of us are too busy for a full blown out daily 60 minute training session there is however absolutely no reason not to include movement into our day, into your day everyday. Sadly the reality of the world we live today is constantly making this a new challenge and even finding new ways to have us motionless; you can literally spend your entire day sitting: sitting in the car, sitting on the subway, sitting at your desk, sitting for coffee, sitting in a waiting room and the list goes on. Truth be told a 2012 research study found that thosewho sat for the longest periods of time were twice as likely to have diabetes or heart disease compared to those who sat less. Enough said to make us all want to start fidgeting about. So here are my top 10 tips to ensuring you still include movement into your day everyday:
 
Tip 1
First off all each day starts the day before and that’s with a plan: looking at the next day’s schedule & agenda and getting a good mental snapshot of what the day looks like; from there you want to start weaving in basics like: meals, water intake, transportation and movement…aahaa, there you have it, there is going to be that moment in the Dr’s waiting room, that moment in line at the check out, that moment at the copy machine, all ideal moments to NOT sit, stay standing and move
 
Tip 2
Once you have identified those moments when there will be movements establish a list of those movements: calve raises, squats, stretching, hip rotations, lifting knees up to chest etc and the list goes on
 
Tip 3
Those moments of movements (MOM) hold their spot in your diary so lock them in, set yourself some reminders so that throughout your busy day you will be pinged that now is time to stand up and move
 
Tip 4
It’s the morning, the alarm goes off and this is the beginning of the day. While the coffee is brewing or the kettle is boiling is a perfect 3 to 5 minute window to energise your day with the following:
Walk jog or hop on the spot until you count to 30
10 to 30 half way squats
1 plank (as long as you can make it)
give yourself a nice big stretch
 
Tip 5
Now as you are about to hop in the shower why not use the bathtub as your mini gym and try out
10 to 30 tricep dips
10 to 30 push ups
20 to 40 mountain climbers
 
Wow look at that, you haven’t even left the house and you already got 2 mini workouts in, fantastic, don’t you feel great?! Energy creates more energy, when you start moving early in the morning you increase the blood flow into the brain and you raise your metabolism, this means your body and your mind will function more efficiently throughout the day.
 
So these first 5 tips are great before you leave the home, but as soon as you are out in the real world here is what you can do
 
Tip 6
If you drive a lot always ensure you park as far as possible from the entry door of wherever you’re going, this will make you walk and honestly won’t take you more than a minute or 2
 
Tip 7
This may seem obvious but we are all guilty for relying on elevators and escalators, so when possible prefer the stairs as your first choice, second choice comes the escalator but climb the escalator stairs instead of being passive and your third choice is the elevator if you have no choice but to take the elevator then this is a perfect moment to do: calve raises (step up on your tip toes and down and repeat) and another great move for elevators is squeezing your glutes, try to squeeze as tight as you can for the entire duration of the ride!! Buns of steel!!
 
Tip 8
If you are seated at a desk make sure you walk to the water fountain at least 8 to 10 times throughout your day, then when you are back at your desk every hour make a point in standing up and down 10 times and when you sit back down lift both knees up and down 10 times. That’s a set of squats and a set of lower abs, if you do this every hour you are guaranteed movements and guaranteeds to see and feel a difference too!
 
Tip 9
If your day requires many phone calls and or meetings then try to make sure you do these standing rather than sitting. Conference calls are great as you can be on your phone with your head phones and walk around. Similarly meetings don’t always have to be seated, everyone in the room is in the same boat and needs to include movement in their day so make a suggestion to stand regularly throughout the meeting, add MOM activity within your team’s daily tasks and soon these moments of movement will become part of your everyday lifestyle
 
Tip 10
Last but not least when you get home from a busy day at work or running errands you want to make sure you don’t just flake out on the sofa. Throw on some tunes or your favourite song and dance for the entire song, get all the family involved, this can be fun and create great memories. Another great one is to walk around the house in walking lunges, I get many of my clients to do this and they end up loving it. Want to take it to the next level? I use Swiffer wipes under my feet to glide around the house killing two bird with one stone: a workout and housework, but that’s me.
 
So there you have it, my top 10 tips for ensuring you keep moving throughout the day even during the busiest days! My suggestion is that until movement has truly become part of your daily lifestyle you should make sure you put reminders in your calendar each day as well as every evening write a little journal of how you moved as well as how you ate, this will keep you accountable and will also enable you to visually see and track your progress.
 
Good luck!
Coach Steph B
 

ps: join me every week until Christmas eve for my weekly 5 day mini programs: for a dollar a day you will get to try out bite sized versions of my FIT FAB transformational programs, we kick off Sunday November 25th, there will be bonuses, gift, holiday bundles and many more surprises along the way to help you live your best FIT FAB Holiday Season yet!!! Click here to join