Moving more each day can help set you on your way to better health. It doesn’t matter if you call it, “working out”, “exercise” or “physical activity”, any type of movement matters. Studies have shown that regular movement may help to reduce the risk of potential infections (Matthews et al 2002), helps to decrease inflammation, improves bone health (Bailey et al 2009), and aids with overall immune system support (Nieman and Wentz 2019).
Why is this you might ask? When we move around our blood circulation increases which helps our bodies deliver more nutrients and oxygen to cells (including the cells in our immune system), helping them act more efficiently.
“You don’t have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step” - Martin Luther King, Jr.
To help you get started, here are our top five tips to get yourself moving:
- Think about all the times that you are sitting during your day, can you do those same activities or tasks while standing?
- Clean up your home. Sweeping, dusting, organizing, and folding all require movement, stretching and effort. Bonus points for wiping down surfaces to help keep yourself safe from viruses and bacteria.
- During TV commercials, get up and pace around, tackle a task or chore, or even spend time stretching.
- Opt outside when you can. Whether it is for dining out, taking walks, or maybe even tackling some yard work, being outdoors will not only help you soak up some vitamin D from the sun, but can also help you stay active.
- Connect Apple Health or fitbit to your d.velop app to track daily movement. Fitness trackers like these have been shown to help increase how much you are moving each day (Brickwood et al 2019).
Try one out and let us know how it goes!
References:
- Matthews CE, Ockene IS, Freedson PS, Rosal MC, Merriam PA, Hebert JR. Moderate to vigorous physical activity and risk of upper-respiratory tract infection. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2002 Aug;34(8):1242-8. doi: 10.1097/00005768-200208000-00003. PMID: 12165677.
- Nieman DC, Wentz LM. The compelling link between physical activity and the body's defense system. J Sport Health Sci. 2019 May;8(3):201-217. doi: 10.1016/j.jshs.2018.09.009. Epub 2018 Nov 16. PMID: 31193280; PMCID: PMC6523821.
- Christine A. Bailey, Katherine Brooke-Wavell, Optimum frequency of exercise for bone health: Randomised controlled trial of a high-impact unilateral intervention, Bone, Volume 46, Issue 4, 2010, Pages 1043-1049, ISSN 8756-3282,
- Brickwood KJ, Watson G, O'Brien J, Williams AD. Consumer-Based Wearable Activity Trackers Increase Physical Activity Participation: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. JMIR Mhealth Uhealth. 2019 Apr 12;7(4):e11819. doi: 10.2196/11819. PMID: 30977740; PMCID: PMC6484266.
