After a long and often "lazy" winter where you’ve spent more time snuggled up on the couch on your Netflix binge than heading out and about, it’s time to get active and give your heart a healthy dose of TLC.
Physical activity is one of the proven ways to reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease. It’s recommended by health professionals that you do 30-45 minutes of moderate activity on most, if not all, days of the week. By doing so, you will reduce your risk of a heart attack, lower your blood pressure, and improve your long-term health.
But if you lead a busy working life, it can be tricky to find the time to fit that 30-45 minutes into the schedule. This spring, we encourage you to try some of these tricks to ensure you start moving much more than you currently do.
At work or working from home
Find a ‘wellness’ partner – someone you work with who shares a similar goal of moving more each day. This can be also be done virtually by doing an online class together! With someone by your side to hold you accountable to exercising more, and perhaps eating more heart-healthy foods, you’re much more likely to stick to your goals.
If you're working in the office consider how you can add some exercise into your commute. Whether you jump off the train or tram early or park a little further away, you can easily add some steps into your daily routine.
Hold a ‘walking’ meeting. If you’re having a brainstorming session with a colleague, why not brainstorm while you do a lap of the local park? Or walk and talk if you're working remotely. Getting the blood flowing might just trigger that brilliant idea you’ve been looking for.
Add ‘exercise’ (or whatever you want to call it) to your calendar and block it out. Then no one else can book this time – use it to go to the gym, go for a swim or get active.
Take little breaks in between your day to stretch! Not only does stretching improve your posture, but it can also help decrease back pain and muscle soreness.
At home
Join a group sports team or fitness class. Whether it’s netball, basketball, touch rugby, soccer – or even a local running club. By committing to a group activity, then you’re much more likely to turn up each week.
Get out in the garden. Gardening can be great physical exercise, particularly when you’re moving barrows of mulch or digging up a garden bed!
Spring clean. From window cleaning to scrubbing floors, there are endless ways you can boost your heart rate while ticking jobs off the to-do list at the same time.
