Long sessions of weightlifting. Running for miles every day. Swimming until your arms are sore. These are some of the types of activities you might think are the best ways to stay active.
While it’s true strength training and cardio have their place, long workout sessions aren’t always necessary to stay active. In fact, working out for too long can lead to issues like increased inflammation. Here are four simple ways you can stay active and avoid the negative effects of too much working out:
- Get in more short walks
One simple and healthy way to stay active is to fill your day with short walks. Skip the cafeteria in favor of a healthy eatery down the street if you’re working. Or, walk outside for 20 minutes before you return to your brown-bag lunch.
Retired or working from home? Take a walk to the corner grocer’s to gather the ingredients to make your lunch. Too far to walk to the nearest grocery store? Pretend that a short walk before lunch is the “fee” you have to pay to get into your kitchen and make that sandwich.
- Get away from your desk more
Workers who sit at a desk all day have a simple option to stay active. They can just get away from their desk more often. For instance, use a smaller glass or bottle for your water. This means that you have to get up more often to go to the water cooler or kitchen. Likewise, you can make going down the hall to borrow a stapler a separate trip from hiking upstairs to ask someone in HR about your vacation schedule.
- Do some chores every day
Did you know that doing a few chores every day is a simple way to stay active? Even just 20 or 30 minutes of chores a day adds up to a cleaner, more organized space.
However, weeding the herb garden or doing the laundry are also physical activities. Such chores can work areas like your core, arms and legs. So, if you remember that these tasks also burn calories and build up your muscles, it may help you feel more like tackling them.
- Don’t shy away from physical therapy
The most obvious way physical therapy helps you stay active is by addressing the aches and pains that keep you from doing activities. In addition, many physical therapy sessions are a workout in themselves. They can even help you meet your weekly cardio and/or endurance goals.
Physical therapists are a great resource for giving you tips on tweaking your daily habits. They 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 can help reduce it.
Border Therapy Services can help you stay active
Want to find a physical therapist who can help you stay as active as possible? Our Border Therapy Services team is ready and willing to help you. We offer free screenings that can uncover issues that are keeping you from a more active lifestyle. Our therapists also excel at building individualized therapy plans intended to reduce pain and improve your ability to move. We even offer at-home therapy and virtual care that allow you to get our help right from your home.
Contact us today for more information about our services or to schedule a free screening.