Like most Americans, you probably spend a lot of time sitting — in your car, at your desk, on the couch. Even if you balance out your time in the chair with trips to the gym.
Research shows that too much sitting can up your risk of breast and colon cancers.
Another recent study found that too much time parked in front of the TV may actually take years off your life.
Heart disease, Decreased energy and stamina, Obesity, Osteoporosis. These are just a shortlist of issues that you are more likely to develop if you aren’t staying physically active.
However, far too many Americans are getting less physical activity than doctors recommend. In fact, medical research shows that 80% of Americans aren’t getting the exercise they need to maintain optimum health.
Increasing physical activity doesn’t have to mean long, hard workouts in the gym.
Physical therapists can help you find simple ways to stay active in your daily life. Here are a few tips that you can increase your activity levels easily:
Walk around whenever you can
When it comes to staying active without the gym, walking is one of the easiest, most convenient activities you can do.
To burn calories, all you have to do is walk faster and devote more time to each walk.
For the most benefit, use a pedometer to keep track of how much you’re walking, and slowly work up to 10,000 steps a day.
It’s easy to get more walking into your day. Some of the ways you can do so include:
- Parking farther away from your office or other destination
- Taking the stairs instead of the elevator
- Walking to a nearby restaurant for lunch
- Using a smaller glass so you have to walk to the water cooler or kitchen more often
Consider using a standing desk at work
Another simple way to stay active is to work from a standing desk. It’s amazing how much healthier simply standing in place is, compared to sitting.
One medical study shows that using a standing desk for about one hour per day can help reduce back and neck pain by 54%.
It can also help you burn more calories. You’ll also hunch less, meaning that neck and shoulder pain is even less likely.
Standing also boosts fitness by keeping blood sugar steadier after a meal and by encouraging more movement overall.
Attend physical therapy
Attending physical therapy sessions is yet another simple way to stay active. The most obvious way physical therapy helps is by addressing the aches and pains that keep you from pursuing your active lifestyle.
Many physical therapy sessions are a workout in themselves; they can even help you meet your weekly cardio and/or endurance goals.
A physical therapist is a great resource for giving you tips on tweaking your daily habits.
These specialists can go over what a normal day looks like for you and offer advice on how to make it a more active one.
If chronic pain is an issue, your physical therapist can show you specific moves that streamline your physical challenges.
Find physical therapy that helps you stay active at Health Plus Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, Edison, NJ
Want to find simple and effective therapy techniques to help you stay active? You’ll find them at Health Plus Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation Center.
Take an appointment with our expert physical therapist for screening that can help reveal issues that are keeping you from being more active.
We also provide one-on-one therapy plans intended to reduce pain and increase your ability to move.
Can’t come into our therapy clinics? No worries! You can get therapy from our team from your home thanks to our virtual therapy services.
You can even get started with your therapy without getting a doctor’s referral beforehand.
Take the next step to get our help with boosting your activity levels. Contact our team today for more information about how we can help you or schedule your initial appointment.
Comments are closed.