Many of the listed risk factors are difficult, if not impossible, to mitigate, so it is understandable if you feel powerless over some of them. The results of this new study are likely to contribute to inactivity at the top of the list. Since inactivity is an adaptable risk factor, you can absolutely control it! Read on to learn how.
To reach the 150-minute exercise threshold over the course of a week, you should exercise just under 22 minutes daily. For someone who does not exercise regularly, this may sound a little overwhelming. But 22 minutes a day does not have to sign up for a new gym membership, invest in a treadmill or to completely revamp your schedule.
With the right strategies, you can achieve your daily exercise goal with very little disruption to your lifestyle, which is important to be able to maintain your new activity level.
Here are five practical, sustainable strategies to help you get 22 active minutes a day.
Important note: Consult your doctor before starting a new exercise program. Stop immediately if you experience pain.
1. Walk regularly
You probably walk a little every day. Maybe you walk to your mailbox or from your car to your office. Would it be possible to take a five or ten minute walk through the area before you receive the mail or enter your office?
Do you have a dog that you walk daily? Can you add time for your daily walk by the dog?
If you do not walk regularly, there is one activity you enjoy and wish you had done more often to connect with your walk, such as talking on the phone with a friend or family member or going to podcasts, audiobooks or music? Linking an activity you enjoy to your walk will make you want to do more on a regular basis, and will make it easier to add walking to your daily schedule.
2. Practice short activities
The guidelines for physical activity do not stipulate that you should exercise in large parts every day. What is important is that you reach the 150 minute goal each week. You can divide your activities into the time frames that are most manageable for your lifestyle.
For people with a more sedentary career, it may be easier to do shorter exercises. If you break into smaller blocks for 22 minutes during the day, you will be amazed at how fast time flies by.
What if you did six short four-minute exercises? After 24 minutes you have two minutes to save. The same goes for eight periods of just three minutes of exercise.
3. Work out smarter, no longer
4. Return to play
Did you play a sport when you were a child? What were your favorite outdoor activities? By returning to the playful activities of your youth, you can add more exercise to your life in a fun and energetic way.
If you played basketball at school, would you be able to do it again by participating in an adult league or finding a group that regularly plays bowling games? Maybe you started out as a martial artist, but never got your black belt. What is holding you back now? Is there a recreational activity that you and your important person or a good friend can do together, such as tennis, golf or cycling?
5. Track your activity
Do you really know how many moderate to rigorous activities you do every day? Just like the people in the studies I mentioned above, who remember and underreport their exercise activities incorrectly, you may be reducing your own activity level.
There are a myriad of portable technology options to track your activity. You can even wear one now. Whether we use technology or a good old-fashioned pen and paper, we not only keep a more accurate record, but we take an extra step in personal liability.
No matter how you track your fitness – with portable technology or simply by keeping a journal – recording your progress will help you stay on track.