What is Steff-stainability?

Living sustainably, my way. It's thinking about what you are putting into your body and how it affects you. But it's also indulging in a brownie cheesecake every now and then. It's making your body look the way you want it to and being proud of it. But it's not spending half of the day working out. It's about making small changes in your life to benefit the great earth on which we live. But it's also running your A/C in the summer and driving your car. It's about setting goals and living up to them. It's trying to make the world a better place. And as I am ever-learning and ever-changing, so is this definition.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Tips to stay active!

I know.

I KNOW.

I'm the worst blogger ever.

I'm sorry.

But I swear I've been busy! Work has really picked up, and I've started on my path to get into the M.S. in Nutritional Sciences at SDSU! I'm currently taking all the prereqs for the program (surprisingly, my B.A. in History didn't have a lot of classes that applied), and I just finished my first class online and am 2 weeks away from finishing my second class. ALSO, I signed up for a half marathon at Disneyland in January. Super exciting!

Anyway, I thought I would bring the blog back with some tips to stay active throughout the day. Everyone knows that eating healthy and exercising throughout the day will help you stay healthy and lose weight. However, there are tons of people who "don't have time to exercise" or have reached a plateau in their weight loss. This is where increasing your metabolic rate throughout the day helps.

Now, our bodies pretty much determine our own metabolic rate, but we can help that along. First of all, if you're sitting instead of lying down, you have a higher metabolic rate. If you're standing, even higher, and if you're walking around, that's even better! In fact, studies have shown that people who stand for 60% of their day burn an extra 32 POUNDS A YEAR than people who sit for 60% of their day.

Here are some ideas to increase your metabolic rate in your daily activities:
  • While at work, ask your boss if you can have an adjustable standing desk, so you can do some of your work standing up. Try standing at work more than sitting.
  • Some offices have even invested in treadmills under their desks, so they are walking while they work! This can be a very slow walk; remember, this is a way to increase your metabolic rate, not a replacement for working out!
  • Choose the restroom that is farthest away from your workplace. If you work right next to the restroom, walk around the whole office before and after going to it.
  • While watching TV at home, stand up and walk around during commercials. If you have a Bosu, flip it over and stand on it during the commercials. If you have a stability ball, sit on the Bosu while watching TV or reading.
  • Walk around while you're talking on the phone.
  • If you're reading, stand up and walk around every few pages. If you're feeling froggy, you can wall-sit for a few minutes while you read.
  • If you're in meetings all day, use your break time to walk around, and if you can walk up and down stairs, that's even better.
  • Come up with your own ways to fit more activity in your life! It will help you commit to it if it's your own idea. In every situation in your day, think to yourself, what can I be doing to become more active?
This will really help make a difference in your weight loss, weight maintenance, and your overall health. Give it a try!

Inspiration for this entry is from Dr. Len Kravitz of the University of New Mexico, who gave an AWESOME talk about this topic at the ACSM Health and Fitness Summit this last April.
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