An 8-point checklist for daily movement
Move more daily…
Do you have a daily movement checklist?
““Checklists turn out...to be among the basic tools of the quality and productivity revolution in aviation, engineering, construction - in virtually every field combining high risk and complexity. Checklists seem lowly and simplistic, but they help fill in for the gaps in our brains and between our brains.””
One could argue we don’t need a checklist for movement—but in a world when it is so easy to be sedentary, it can be one of the best safeguards against physical inactivity. Your daily movement checklist doesn’t have to be written down but certainly making a mental note followed up by a concerted daily effort is useful--if a written list helps you to get things done then go for it.
Being active daily is one of the best things I (or you) can do for health.
Your body isn’t designed to sit on a chair for most of the day and for sedentary individuals, the benefits of movement are life-enhancing.
For instance, people who are sedentary have the highest rate of heart attacks even after accounting for smoking, alcohol and diet. Indeed physical inactivity has been identified as the single best predictor of premature death.
Below I’ve outlined a few simple tips for incorporating movement into your daily life without taking up too much time. I try and do most of the tasks listed below daily, but, it isn’t always possible and not something I want to be dogmatic about.
A Checklist for Daily Movement
#1. Walk at least 10,000 steps.
10,000 steps a day may be an arbitrary figure with no basis in science. [1]
But 10,000 steps amounts to around 5 miles and yes, doing that equivalent is beneficial for our health especially when many of us are getting less than a fifth of that amount per day.
There is evidence that increased intensity is better than just the number of steps taken per day.[2]
But there are many benefits to walking even for those with advanced cancer, for example, regardless of intensity and where possible it should still be our primary type of locomotion.
Do more of it.
#2. Sprint or Jump
Movement patterns of maximal effort are worthwhile doing regularly and remember they only need to take a few seconds to execute!
Think of children playing they jump and sprint (think tag) frequently. Sprinting doesn’t have to be done as a drill but can be done when needed, such as when in a rush or then again play tag; it’s more fun.
#3. Get Out of Breath
Everything gets a little sluggish when you're sedentary [3] being more active produces more energy.
Getting out of breath through physical activity increases the volume and number of mitochondria long term and thus, improving your body’s ability to produce energy and reduce fatigue. [4]
Get out of breath in an instant. Just participate in a few movement snacks you don’t have to use a lot of time to get the heart rate, and breathing rate elevated.
RELATED: The Top 7 Benefits of Sprinting
#4. Strength [lift / carry / push / pull]
Lift something, carry something else. Push an object or pull-it instead. At some point daily, use your musculature as intended.
Fitness is often perceived to be about immense efforts of steady-state stamina and endurance or low-intensity efforts of maintaining flexibility and improving posture. Both are important, of course, but nothing has a more positive impact on the systems of our body than strength training. Nothing.
Loss of strength at an accelerated rate are hallmarks of ageing (sarcopenia) [5] that, without intervention, eventually lead to physical disability, loss of independence and even death.
Whatever our limitations or restrictions, age or ability—it is possible to be as strong as we can be.
Being functionally strong is not about the size of one’s muscles, it’s about the size of one’s mindset, it's not about complicated or outlandish movement patterns but about exploring what is functionally capable for you.
It’s about focussing on your potential, not on your limitations.
How many of these could you do on a regular basis?
RELATED: Be Your Own Superhero
#5. Always Take The Stairs
Think of climbing stairs as a more powerful version of walking you are working against gravity, even more, when you do so. Compare how much more difficult it is to climb stairs rather than going downstairs.
Dr Harvey Simon, associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, states:
"Walking up stairs is one of the best-kept secrets in preventive medicine".
The Harvard Alumni Study found that men who climbed an average of eight or more flights of stairs a day had a 33% lower mortality rate and a significantly lower risk of stroke than men who were sedentary.
It can even save time too! A study in a Canadian hospital found that employees would save 15 minutes each per day by taking the stairs rather than the lift or elevator [6] and in a study involving students found that they took twice as much time to descend or ascend one floor by elevator compared with stairs [7].
RELATED: Move Animal Train Human
#6. Move Time > Chair Time
Are you sitting comfortably?
Hopefully, you won’t be by the time you finish reading this. The chair dominates life in the 21st Century. Chairs are a beautiful creation. We can work, eat and be entertained while in the chair.
So amazing are these devices in fact that they entice us to sit. Passively. Effortlessly. If you watch my TED “Why Working Out Isn’t Working Out” [8] you will see why the chair does such a fantastic job of encouraging a sedentary existence.
I know most of the time, chairs feel great. However, spending less time sitting can add quality years to your life. People who predominately sit at work have twice the rate of cardiovascular disease as those with standing jobs [9], and there are many other issues with too much sitting time.
Take a walk break instead of a coffee break to rejuvenate your energy and boost creativity.
It’s time to break free from chair dependence.
RELATED: Is Sitting The New Smoking?
#7. Say no to [ car / bus / train /taxi ]
Public health guidelines state that adults should be physically active daily, and aim for a minimum 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity and two days a week of full-body resistance training.
It’s simply easier to achieve that baseline of movement minutes if we ditch the car and participate in active commuting and leisure activities that don’t require public transport or a car.
Bike or walk to work to get some fresh air before sitting down (or standing) at your desk.
Active commuting brings about benefits. Research shows such as cycling to work suggest that all-cause mortality was 30% lower in cyclists compared with non-cyclists. Studies have also reported lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancers associated with cycling compared with not cycling. [10]
#8. Have fun with movement [PLAY]
Find fun exercise routines that work with your lifestyle are playful, functional and make you smile. When movement is fun you are more likely to want to do it.
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In summary, add more QUALITY, VARIED and FUN MOVEMENT to your daily life. Small lifestyle changes from just standing up—to larger fitness goals, getting more movement on a daily basis is a vital component to staying healthy.
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Resources:
[1] Cox, David. “Watch Your Step: Why the 10,000 Daily Goal Is Built on Bad Science.” The Guardian, 3 Sept. 2018, www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/sep/03/watch-your-step-why-the-10000-daily-goal-is-built-on-bad-science.
[2] Mosley, Michael. “‘Forget Walking 10,000 Steps a Day.’” BBC News, 31 Jan. 2018, www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-42864061. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020.
[3] Ellingson, Laura D et al. “Active and sedentary behaviors influence feelings of energy and fatigue in women.” Medicine and science in sports and exercise vol. 46,1 (2014): 192-200. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e3182a036ab
[4] Huertas, J.R., Casuso, R.A., Agustín, P.H. and Cogliati, S. (2019). "Stay Fit, Stay Young: Mitochondria in Movement: The Role of Exercise in the New Mitochondrial Paradigm." [online] Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. Available at: https://www.hindawi.com/journals/omcl/2019/7058350/ [Accessed 16 Aug. 2020].
[5] Santilli, Valter, et al. “Clinical Definition of Sarcopenia.” Clinical Cases in Mineral and Bone Metabolism : The Official Journal of the Italian Society of Osteoporosis, Mineral Metabolism, and Skeletal Diseases, vol. 11, no. 3, 2014, pp. 177–80, www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4269139/
[6] Shah, S., et al. “Elevators or Stairs?” Canadian Medical Association Journal, vol. 183, no. 18, 12 Dec. 2011, pp. E1353–E1355, 10.1503/cmaj.110961. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020.
[7] Westmeier-Shuh, Joshua, et al. “Time Required for Stair and Elevator Use.” Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, vol. 39, no. Supplement, May 2007, p. S195, 10.1249/01.mss.0000273729.75434.95. Accessed 14 Oct. 2019.
[8] "Why Working Out Isn’t Working Out" | Darryl Edwards | TEDxRoyalTunbridgeWells. (2019). YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NoN2b-b2c0o.
[9] Wilmot, E. G., et al. “Sedentary Time in Adults and the Association with Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Death: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Diabetologia, vol. 55, no. 11, 14 Aug. 2012, pp. 2895–2905, 10.1007/s00125-012-2677-z.
[10] Andersen, Lars Bo. “Active Commuting Is Beneficial for Health.” BMJ, vol. 357, 19 Apr. 2017, www.bmj.com/content/357/bmj.j1740, 10.1136/bmj.j1740. Accessed 15 Aug. 2020.
Daily Movement Checklist
