I learned a few years ago the importance of getting up and moving around during the day.
I have been an accounting and finance junkie for a few decades at this point. What that meant for me is spending hours and hours (often straight with no breaks) in a chair staring at computer screens or reading.
I had to learn the hard way that sitting endlessly is horrible for your health in more ways than one;
- Slow metabolism
- Bad posture
- Lack of blood flow
- The list is actually quite long
- My back and neck would be in pain
Medical science and research have now concluded that prolonged sitting increases your risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and more.
Therefore, I had to break a bad habit that was decades in the making. I had to stop sitting so much and get up and move more (much more). So I set out a few years ago to walk 10,000 steps a day (before that was the “cool thing to do.”) The results were wonderful.
I also held myself accountable. I purchased a Garmin VivoActive Fitness watch. I upload my actual data for sleep, steps and other activities daily. No cheating. I average about 11,600 steps per day.
I had to do something if I wanted to prolong my life. I had to take action and change my ways. That was back in 2014 that I committed myself.
One of the wonderful things of tracking statistics and using the tools provided by Garmin, I am amazed what daily commitment can add up to. I’ve walked over 13.4 million steps which adds up to over 6,700 miles since I started this goal. 11,600 steps a day, every day starts to add up. That’s over 350,000 steps a month and over 4 million a year.
Can you imagine what this will add up to over decades? I’m anxious to find out.
That’s a lot of extra calories that I’ve burned. I’ve added a lot of years to my body. I am grateful I changed my ways. Maybe you will too.
But it is not always easy. Sometimes it’s raining outside, or cold, or quite honestly I just don’t feel like doing it. But I do it anyway. I’ve had the benefit of using an indoor treadmill which is particularly helpful during spells of bad weather or killing two birds with one stone. I could do my business reading in the morning or at lunch while walking and getting the blood moving. Double dip and multitask on items like this. It is so efficient and helpful as we are all short on time and long on goals.
All of these little things turn into big things and stack up. Getting your sleep, drinking enough water, eating vegetables and organic fruits, exercising, eliminating stress and anxiety. It all adds up over the years.
Start with something small and specific and then build from there. Maybe it’s walking every day like I did. Maybe it’s something different. But do something to save yourself. You are worth it.
If you would like to read more on what sitting too long does to your body, here is a great resource. http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2015/05/08/sitting-too-long.aspx