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How do you break out of your sedentary lifestyle?

I'm super sedentary; I move very little, your average couch potato, and if I'm just going about my daily routine I'll get only 1,000-2,500 steps per day. What I want to know is, how do those with sedentary lifestyles find the motivation to increase their activity level? Are there any tips or tricks that could be offered to me?

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In other words make it part of your lifestyle.

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The suggestions here so far are fantastic!  I went from completely sedentary for years to leaving home last year for a 7 month hiking trip that took me 2,200 miles on my own two feet up the Eastern Seaboard.  Some of my most important lessons were as follows:  Write down your goals and WHY you want to accomplish them; Share these goals and reasons with people who care about you and can/will help support you in your journey; ALWAYS remember that a lot of little steps will have you waking up one morning realizing how far they've taken you.  It's so incredible how empowering it is to realize what you're capable of--and YOU are CAPABLE!  Go get it, and be proud of your desire to change your lifestyle!  

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Before a year or so ago, I was VERY sedentary when I wasn't teaching classes. For me, teaching helps, but I do it part time. 

I got a smart phone several years ago - I got a pedometer App about a year and a half ago. That helped because I could set a goal and stick to it; every week, I'd try to add 500 steps to the daily count. Most have reminders set up so that I don't forget to do those little tasks. 

I'm especially interested in doing "little things" that won't seem like drastic changes right away. If I make drastic changes, I may get bored or burnt out quickly. The Fitbit helps. partly because of the reminders. 

Here are a few things I've been doing. 

I use the feature where you get reminders to take 250 steps each hour, which reminds me to take a break.


I park farther away at, say, the grocery store... 

My dad got sick early this year, so I'm doing more to help my parents, this means carrying more heavy stuff around, doing more shopping for them, etc.  The silver lining is that this naturally gets me doing more; (twice the grocery shopping = twice the steps, for example).  

I like to "gamify" my tasks. I have a habits app which gives me a little character that can collect prizes and fight in little battles; most of the health apps I'm using at least have virtual stickers or badges. They also have a running tally, so if I miss more than a day, it "resets" and I lose my streak, which I'm competitive enough to hate.  

The weather has been pretty decent lately, so I'm spending more time outdoors. I go to a nearby park and walk first thing. I try to get about 7-8000 steps by the end of my walk (by noon), so I don't have to obsess about moving a lot in order to hit 10,000 by bedtime. I pop in the earphones and listen to comedy or upbeat music, and walk. It'll be harder when it gets cold, but for now, I'm taking advantage of the few nice months.


 

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Instead of sitting on the couch when watching TV, jog on the spot, exercise
bike or running machine
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Great advice, Bobbinyc. Thank you. 

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Here is a helpful trick I learned for this from a recent book I read.  Commit to doing sit ups for 1 minute a day/5 days per week.  That's right, 1 minute.  Now if you do your 1 minute, then any extra minutes you do are extra or "bonus" sit ups.  But definitely commit to the 1 minute rule.  Alternatively, you could do jumping jacks, burpees, squats, high knees, or whatever movement you like.  In your mind, focus on keeping that minimum requirement.  But the reality is, that once you get in your 1 minute, you will feel like doing more.  After a few weeks of keeping your commitment to 1 minute 5 days a week successfully, slowly raise the commitment.  2 minutes, 5 minutes.  I personally do not think you ever have to make it more than a 12 minute commitment.  Psychologically, this is much more palatable.  You don't have so much mental resistance to getting started with a 1 minute workout.  But that little bit of momentum will carry you a long way more days than not.  Especially on the days you don't feel like working out.  You just say to yourself, "ok, I'm going to do my 1 minute and be done".  It's like sex...you'll be surprised how often one thing leads to another and before you know it, you are in all out "beast mode".   

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@Dwaterman,

 

I can do HIIT sex in 10 seconds.

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Concept is good but drop the sit-ups.

Sent from my iPhone
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Hi Lacyloo! I have a few ideas that have helped me:

  1. Get a spiral and make a list of goals and ideas for this journey. It is yours, you needn't share it, so write any silly, ambitious, or sad thing you want to say. Paste pictures of outfits you'd like to wear at your goal weight, think of non-food rewards that you might use to celebrate along the way for your mini-goals, like 5 lbs, 5 miles, whatever you want to celebrate.
  2. Make a chart to put on the wall. I like visual proof that I am making progress. Personally, I also like stars. I like to put them up for making the effort, and it is especially nice if I'm not seeing a drop on the scale.
  3. Be honest with yourself. You know your weak points, so find a way to work around them. I know I will not work out at home so I have stopped buying exercise equipment for home. If I go to a class I can suffer with others at an appointed time. Voila! Done! If you know you won't go to the gym once you are home, don't go home till you hit the gym. Just accept your weaknesses and work against them. We all have them.
  4. Don't try to do it fast. Don't try to do it alone. Be patient. Use these boards and look for Before and After stories. You can do this!
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Great ideas, thank you for posting.
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I'm an older female, so remembering to get up is no problem. I drink a lot of water, so I have to get up and pee all the time. All you have to do is take a few laps around the house, or around the office (or when I was in an office I would run up and down the stairs--wish I still had THOSE knees!), and Bob's your uncle!

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Thanks helpful hints. I try to drink lots of water also. Don't think i have
an Uncle Bob though. ??
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I totally agree with this! I know many people are too shy, but believe me, no one cares what you are doing or how you look. Just go and do what you can. After a few classes, you'll know a few people and you can start commiserating about how it is killing you, but you will be building a habit, feeling better and stronger, and your body will thank you!

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I've always thought of a healthy lifestyle as REAL health insurance. Living a long time would be no fun at all if one were in bad shape and not able to be active. Staying in good shape is the best hope for being able to participate in your own life.

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@cahark

female no, older yes, knees yes (not exactly the best, sort of like "vintage"), uncle Bob no, drink lots of water yes, early riser yes (not because I am disciplined or have a desire to get 5k steps before dawn) ... 😉

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I have a local shop that I used to drive too, now I walk. I try to get up and leave my desk as much as possible, I make a LOT of tea at work just to shuttle back and forwards to the kitchen. I always have a fitbit challenge on the go for the workweek and weekend, I am quite competitive so this makes me want to get up and move. I also joined a bootcamp which I love, this runs 3 times a week.

Me and my friends will sometimes go for a walk/catch up after dinner and just do a loop around the village. You could also download the fitbit coach app, they have workouts for free. Some are just 7 minutes long so VERY easy to fit into your day. Good luck.

Terri Taylor
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its going to be different for everybody. i am raising 3 kids. one wasnt sleeping thru for 3 years and every chance i had i just wanted to sit down exhausted. i had quit smoking which added weight from food replacement. 

i got to a weight that i didnt want to be and that was my limit. sitting down exhausted and growing was no longer an option for me. i did not want to continue on that path.

you can do small things that help. being efficient can also be seen as being lazy. for example, when i hang clothes on the clothes line to dry, instead of collecting them with a basket, i sort them out while on the line. i get socks n jocks for 1 person and walk inside and put them away. then shirts and pants for another and walk inside to put them away.......for example. we dont iron here, thats a mugs game. i put cloths on hangers and hang them on the line to dry.

suddenly, the 50 steps that would be used taking a basket outside and returning.....has become 1500 steps and the washing is all away.

parking further away from shops helps alot too.

you dont need to start massive walks to start becoming more active, you can do things differently that you already do. its not a huge step but its a start.

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