How do you break out of your sedentary lifestyle?

[lacieloo]

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?

[SunsetRunner]

Did you seriously toss out a 200  dollar watch because it lacked a reminder?  I hope you at least freecycled it.

 
ETA:  never mind, I didn't realize how old your post was.

[prachild]

I'm right there with you. Average a measly 1200 steps if im not careful.  The fit bit is motivation for me. I try to each 5000 steps or more. Turn on some music and just walk in circles in your house or up and down the stairs if you half to. Singing will help you burn an extra 100 calories per hour. best wishes to you

[melaangus]

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@lacieloo wrote:

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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1. Getting a pet helped me, but I'm aware that not everyone has the money and time to take care of one. But trust me, a puppy that requires walks and play will get you moving during the day,a nd enjoy it!
2. I also drink a lot of water, so I force myself to drink as much as possible and take a long route to the kitchen to refill the water.

[NatesMom]

The FitDesk is wonderful! I'm averaging 100 minutes of cycling a day. Whenever I have a meeting that doesn't require dual screens, I do it on my FitDesk. It's definitely added more movement - and calorie burning! - to my day. 

[glitterNfunk]

I was in that same place about a year ago.  I was over 300 pounds and had a lot of breathing problems.  What worked for me is I wore the fitbit for a week and found my average daily steps.  I then added 100 steps and made that my daily goal.

Once that became something I hit every day, I added another 100.  Eventually I was moving more and I would add 500 steps to my goal at a time.

Fast forward to a year later and I'm up to 17,000 steps a day.  I've lost 65 pounds and added some weight machines to my routine. 

I looked at it as a lifestyle change....no goal date to lose x number of pounds but instead a goal to move more this week than I did last week.

Good luck!  Be consistant and you'll see consistant progress!  : )

[cinzianelson]

I admire your consistency. I have never been out of shape or over weight. However, I have freinds and co-workers who are. I have always worked out every day since I was 11 years old so I could compete in athletic activities. 

Now I am a software engineeer so I have to sit a lot. We do have a gymn at the office so I go walk on the treadmill several times when I am at work. Then I do my average 20,000 steps at the gymn after I leave the office.

I have tried to get some of my co-workers who really need to exercise to at least go to the gymn at the office with me but they stop after a couple of time.

Again I admire your determination and attitude.

Go You 🙂

[SampleFive]

I work at a job where most days I am at a desk.  On those days, I use an app on my phone to remind me, once an hour to get up and walk.  I spend five minutes every hour walking, which really isn't a whole lot of time, but by the end of the day (I do it a few hours when I get home too) I have racked up about 7,000 steps just in these small segments.  My mini-walks also take me up three flights of stairs to get back to my office so I kill that goal too!

[SeattleJumper]

That's fantastic!

Sent from my iPhone

[TMacNJ]

Without more information about your life, it's a little hard to know if this is helpful, but . . . That few steps sounds like you either work at home or live in an apartment. Just remember that a body in motion stays in motion! Most of what's below is straight out of Mary Poppins, "you find the fun, and snap! The job's a game!"

Everytime you walk through a house, you grab an armful of whatever your stuff is that needs to go to another room, like, to the laundry, to the garbage, to the storage room. It becomes a self reinforcing habit as you keep bouncing from one room to another.

You do this, because steps are steps, no matter where they come from.

If you rent, consider renting someplace where you can walk or bike to your local markets. For years, I would put a Kelty backpack on, hop on my bike, and hit the library, Blockbuster (yeah, it was a while ago!), supermarket, post office and wine store on the same trip. Do it once or twice, and you'll fall in love!

If you have a dog, take the dog to the local county or state park, even to the dog park! All you need is a weekend morning and a leash. The steps will appear as if it's magic. And the dog will quickly learn that weekend mornings are for the park, and won't give you any peace until you take them out there! : )

If you're struggling to get into a basic cardio workout routine, do these two things:

1. Wear as much of your workout clothes, and contact lenses, all day long, every day, and leave clean water bottles laying around in your car, your backpack or purse, and your kitchen counter. If you have the right socks, sneakers, T shirt already on and contacts already in, and you have a bottle in your hand, you're more than halfway to success.

2. Drop your expectation of how long you need to stay at the gym. It's much better to get three days of a half hour cardio in front of CNN and The Food Network, than it is to try for perfection and never get out your door. It might be weeks before you have the time to do both a lift and cardio in the same day, but, who cares? Better to do something and feel better than do nothing because you can't achieve perfection! 

[Labyrinth]

Hi there lacieloo , first of all I would like to congratulate you for reaching out to the community for help, the first step and staying connected 🙂 

I believe everyone has given you great reponses and some things to think about. One that struck a chord for me is Bobbinyc where he says think about how long you want to live and quality of life you want. 

We all have something to give even if we may think no one cares , as you can see alot on the community have reached out to support you as we all know its difficult to get started.

I find walking in Nature really sustains me , not everyone's choice but works for me. Trying mindfulness when walking just focussing on the moment and when a negative thought comes , like this is too difficult or I am tired or sore , aknowledge that thought then look at your surroundings or how much you have achieved even if it is getting up to move one or two steps from sitting. Like I said you have alreadydy achieved so much to reaching out 🙂 

[Labyrinth]

Hi Bobbinyc ,

Your thinking about how long you want to live and quality of life really struck a chord for me , thats exactly how I feel. Even though I am mature aged I still like to live a full life. 

Your tips and support where  great 🙂

[SanMoura]

When I first started my journey to a healthy lifestyle, the easiest was through my friends. I "used" them to motivate me. My BFF would come by the house every day so that we would take a 45 minute walk. By watching what I ate, and JUST walking everyday, I lost 90lbs in 60days. I was being monitored by the doctor and a naturopath... the weight just fell off. 

[jweat0043]

The motivation is up to you! If you want a change or not.

Couch potato... at work or at home? There are always ways to up your fitness if you have the "want" to do it... It can be as simple as doing squats, sit ups, push ups, etc. during a commercial break, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. Little changes can make a big difference.

[MyoBod]

Try walking after meals.  My dog assist me with this since working from home, and these are now her potty breaks. Helps me to achieve an additional 2K steps/day.  

[Deeeeeee]

I love much of the advice prior to mine! Good ideas. I am retired with trigger point issues - severe neck, back, and shoulder muscle pain. I have found that when I went tent camping I stopped hurting so I realized I am sitting too much when at home. Just got my fitbit and right now I now use a timer when I am sitting. I give myself 30 minutes and then I am up for 30 minutes. Dog training, laundry, straightening, cooking, going up one staircase then down the other for 10 minutes at a time, rearranging a room, etc. I will walk more outside once the weather changes! Got 8000 steps the first day then upped it to 10000 and able to make it. I feel so much better and have a lot less pain. Used to go to bed with the pain and now I know that is the worst thing I can do! I am competitive by nature so the fitbit works well for me. Good Luck!!

[lmlt]

You can start with the little things:

- Parking further away so you walk
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevators or escalators

- Getting off one stop before the stop you normally get off

That's what I do 😄
I also add steps in whenever I do my work or study by just pacing a bit during my breaks. 🙂

[Megzzzx]

For me I have tried to do more chores through out the week instead of waiting and doing them all on the weekend at once. I take the stairs. I use the down stairs bathroom at work. I go for walks at lunch. I try to do a lot of walking on the weekends. I got an exercise bike. I play Just Dance, Zumba, or EA Sports Active on the Wii. At work I break some tasks that require getting up into multiple trips so I get more steps. 

[eirippe]

9 months ago I was a couch potato who made excuses at every turn. Then one day I started making small changes that eventually became a part of my every day routine. If somewhere I am going is within a half mile to 4 miles I will run there or walk. Not just once in a while but every time usually. I then started eating half of my portions. I lost 20 lbs in a month and then I went into overdrive. Now I am dedicated and try not to make any slip ups. I really think its a mindset you have to have that slowly takes its full shape. I feel guilt when doing things I know will jeopardize my weight and health. 

[Megzzzx]

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@eirippe Lucky. I wish there were places within walking distance here. I have to drive to another town just to go to work, go to the park to walk, see friends or family, go to movies, shop, everything. The only things within walking distance here is fast food and I avoid those. HAHA

[MarciM]

I love this advise! I would like to add, get your friends and family involved. Instead of meeting a friend at a coffee shop, plan to take a walk instead. If you work in an office, take your 1:1 meetings walking. I work for a company that is 100% virtual and thus we meet at coffee shops or other food related establishments, which makes it easy to form bad habits. In March I challenged people to take a walk instead of sitting and we had very positive results, people are walking, feeling better, and motivated to make changes. The community aspect really helps on days you just don't feel like moving, we hold each other accountable. Daily, weekly and longer range challenges also help keep us motivated. 🙂