Life can get pretty hectic. You may have plenty of responsibilities on your shoulders, which could make it hard to take some time out for yourself, and consequently, you may find it hard to exercise properly. Exercising not only helps you stay in shape, but also promotes health and well-being. So what do you do to stay healthy if you don’t get time to exercise? Thankfully, there are plenty of ways in which you can incorporate casual exercise into your everyday life.
When you move your body, it is important to ensure that your muscles are used efficiently — this helps improve vitality and strength, while releasing tension. Here are some ways in which you can turn mundane tasks into a pathway to overall well-being.
Sitting and standing
When sitting down, it is important to ensure that you maintain proper posture. Keeping your back straight improves the functioning of the nervous system, which makes you more responsive. When standing up, keep your knees pointed forward and directly above your ankles. Then, lean forwards till your nose is aligned with your toes, and press evenly into both feet to stand. Reverse the process when sitting down.
This simple five-second extension turns a routine task into a casual exercise.
Climbing the stairs
Most office buildings have elevators these days. But, if you are looking to turn a healthy leaf, why not use the stairs instead? By maintaining proper posture while climbing, you will be able to burn a lot of calories and improve your body’s well-being.
When ascending, keep one foot on the step and ensure that your knee is in line with your middle toe. Lean forwards at the hips till your nose is just behind, or in line with, your toes (instead on being in front). Press evenly and use the muscles in your entire foot to push you up. With enough practice, you will be able to quickly move up and down the stairs — while maintaining proper posture.
Bending
Bending — which we do multiple times a day — helps us do a number of things from putting on shoes to picking something up from the floor. But, many people have a tendency to crane their neck when bending, which causes discomfort.
Instead of contracting your neck, let your neck relax when bending forwards. Also make sure that the movement is initiated by the muscles in your legs. The muscles in the buttock should contract before the lower back, and the abdominals should be engaged as well. By maintaining the appropriate posture when bending over, you’ll feel strength and relaxation instead of tension and contraction.
Wearing socks
If done the right way, even something as mundane as wearing socks can be turned into an exercise. A great approach would be to try the “single leg stance” — maintain balance on one leg while wearing the sock on the other.
When balancing, your hip should be positioned directly above the ankle and the standing leg should not jut out. Maintain hip position in such a way that the muscles in your lower back are not exerted. Remember to do it near a dresser or wall so that you can stabilize yourself easily, if need be.
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Originally published at https://www.vitactivate.com on December 24, 2019.