You've Got the Power

Focus on your strength

If you’re new to physical activity, you might think you won’t be able to accomplish what you want to — you might even be scared to start.

But if you call to mind other times in your life when you’ve faced obstacles and triumphed — that calculus class in high school, or the time you asked for and got a raise, or when you took care of your sister’s kids for two weeks, or, let's be honest, some days just getting up in the morning — you should feel more confident in taking on a new challenge.

What you think determines how you feel, and how you feel determines what you do.

Ready to get started?

A smart move: sit less!

These days, most of us sit a lot—eight hours a day or more, in some cases. Research has shown that this sedentary behaviour isn’t so great for us 1—even if we get in a workout most days. It’s the long stretches of sitting that are most harmful. So aim to get out of your seat more often throughout the day. It’s easier than you might think.

First, try to notice your “sitting time” over a few days or a week. That can make you more aware of when and where you’re sitting too long without getting up. Then try any of the ideas here, and take a stand!

At home:

• Pace while talking on the phone.

• Stay on your feet while watching TV, and use the time to iron clothes, lift weights, march in place.

• Be inefficient! Take the laundry up the stairs in a few trips instead of one, wash dishes by hand instead of putting them in the dishwasher, use a watering can instead of the hose, and so on.

At work:

• Set an hourly alarm on your phone or computer to remind yourself to get up and walk for five minutes.

• Instead of calling or emailing a colleague, walk over to her workspace—or make it a walking meeting!

• Send documents to the farthest printer; store your lunch in a more remote fridge, use the restroom on another floor— you get the idea.

• Do squats while reading documents.

Out and about:

• Park in the far lot at the shopping centre.

• Use the walk-in ATM instead of the drive-thru.

• Cheer your kid’s soccer team as you pace along the sidelines, not plunked in a chair.

• Waiting for a table? Walk around the parking lot instead of sitting in the foyer or at the bar.

1. Young DR, et al. Sedentary Behavior and Cardiovascular Morbidity and Mortality: A Science Advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2013 Sep 13;34(11). DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000440