Your lifestyle is a direct result of your habits. The habits you choose to embrace or change affect your future. From the time you wake up to the time you go to bed, your daily life consists of habits.
What do you eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner? Do you show up to things on time? How often do you intentionally work out? How much time are you on your phone? What time do you get up and go to bed?
You may not realize the habits you’ve developed and how they affect your lifestyle. The fact that you don’t know your habits is a habit in itself — one of reaction vs proaction. Your ability to move is a result of your movement habits and the environment around you.
For instance, how many chairs do you have in each room? Why do you need so many? Simply having so many options to sit encourages you to do it. The activities you do at home don’t always need a seat. Folding laundry, watching TV, playing with your kids and pets, talking on the phone — these are examples of things you can do standing up, sitting on the ground, or even walking.
Many of us sit for hours a day at a desk, get home exhausted, and sit down to “rest.” We eat dinner sitting down and afterward move to another chair to watch TV, play on our phones, or do more computer-based hobbies until we go to our beds because we feel tired that we need to lie down.
We wake up feeling unrested, tired, or sore after lying in bed for hours because our pre-bedtime routines prevent us from getting the quality sleep we need to feel energized. Complaining about pain and discomfort in our backs, shoulders, necks, and hips, we get out of bed to get ready for the day. But first we have to drink coffee or tea filled with sugar and caffeine to “wake us up.” Maybe even grab another one at the office because you’re still not awake after sitting in your car and driving to the office. You finally start your workday when you sit back down behind your computer or at the table for your first meeting.
Considering how little you move your body in the day, why do we feel the need to rest so much?
The movement habits we choose and the environments we put ourselves in creates a cycle. Breaking the cycle requires purpose and conscious decision making. That’s how you create new habits and replace old ones.
By creating an environment to support the lifestyle you want and replacing the bad habits with better ones. Start with doing simple things.
Instead of watching TV while sitting in a chair, do it while standing or stretching. Keep changing your position by standing on one leg, getting up on your toes, doing arm stretches or air squats. Try walking laps in your living room. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you’re moving. You might even reduce your screen time close to bedtime and improve your sleep quality.
One of my favorite things to do is sit on the floor cross legged or feet straight out while I’m playing with our kids. Just 30 minutes a day of sitting on the floor in any way can help with sore backs and hips. I didn’t believe it myself until I started doing it. The act of getting up and down combined with opening my hips while on the floor helps stretch out the muscles and joints restricted all day long from sitting down. You don’t have to sit for 30 minutes in a row. Start with just sitting on the floor for 2-3 minutes, and do it until you accumulate 30 minutes throughout the day.
Timers are great ways to improve your habits. Phone, egg, pomodoro, and kitchen timers all help remind you to move. Set it to go off every 30-45 minutes to remind yourself to change positions. You don’t have to own an adjustable standing desk to make the most of this either. Look around your office or home and find ways to change the height of where you are working. Books, boxes, and crates are good examples of common items to do this with. Sit on the floor. Stand up. Lean on a barstool. Go for a walk. Make a lap around the office. When the timer goes off, you need to move.
Your goals are driven by the lifestyle you have — it’s a process built on your habits. Choose to move. Don’t let pain and discomfort hold you back from getting started. Let Dr. Samantha help you get started and provide expert guidance as you build better movement habits. Schedule a free discovery call with her to learn how we can help you take control of your movement.