Staying active or doing physical activity improves muscular strength and endurance as well as cardio-respiratory endurance and body composition to prevent non- communicable diseases (e.g. heart diseases, some cancers, diabetes), which are among the leading causes of deaths in our world today. A person also becomes agile, flexible, coordinated, balanced and has a good speed time, when he or she stays active.
Staying active or doing physical activity does not only mean exercising in a gym, playing a sport, or jogging as some are likely to assume. The truth is exercising, is only part of being active as being active means doing anything that makes you move your body. This means physical activity include house chores, walking, swimming, dancing, playing any sport, doing aerobics exercises or using cardiovascular equipment and many more.
Below are ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine.
At Home
1. Do not shun house chores as performing house chores makes you to your body.
2. Organize a family physical activity competition for example skipping rope or dancing competition to motivate everyone to join in doing a physical activity.
Using Transportation
3. When you use private transportation, always try to pack your car a few metres from where you are going and walk the last few metres to your intended location. This will give you 5 – 10 minutes of walking, consequently improving your physical activity level.
4. When you use public transportation, walk to the next bus stop before getting on the bus or get off the bus a stop early.
At work
5. Use the stairs more than you use the lifts. If for instance your office is located on the 7th floor of the building, you can take the lift to the 4th floor and use the stairs for the remaining floors.
6. Walk or stand for 5- 10 minutes after sitting for 1 – 2 hours or when you have to make/receive a call at work.
7. Walk to a colleague’s desk to communicate with him/her instead of using the intercom/email/office communicator.
8. You can ask for a walking meeting with business partners, colleagues, line managers etc., thereby getting the opportunity to walk to improve your physical activity level.
On your own
9. Register to learn/play a sport at a sports club or register with a gym. Perhaps spending money to register with a local gym or sporting centre may motivate you to use it as you would not want to waste money.
10. In a technological world where things are done with just a touch or a press of a button, try to cut down on touching and pressing.
Photo Credit: Kofimusings
About contributor
Irene Danquah, ANutr holds a BSc Biochemistry from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana and an MSc Public Health Nutrition from the University of Southampton, UK. Irene is member of the UK Association for Nutrition (AfN) and the Ghana Nutrition Association. She is on the UK Voluntary Register of Nutritionists (UKVRN) as an Associate Nutritionist. Like the World Bank, Irene also believes "Nutrition is an investment issue and improved nutrition is one of the major drivers of economic growth - World Bank, 2006".
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