Battling Your Inner "Couch Potato" by Dr. Madelyn Fernstrom
With winter in full swing, my own inner ?couch potato? surfaces, with the urge to stay indoors and hibernate! Who doesn?t love to go out for a stroll in warm, sunny weather? But what happens when it?s windy, freezing and icy outside?
While it?s great to go out to a gym, or a class, I?m always asked if you can stay active without those specific activities in the winter months, and if there are reasonable alternatives. In a word: YES. (Note: my hat goes off to those who bundle up with high tech waterproof shoes and thermal underwear to brave the cold ? I?m trying!!).
We all have to work at consistent activity, for both good health and weight control. I have two words for you: ?keep moving? ? at least 30 minutes a day.
It?s a great foundation for lifelong physical activity.
Little things you can do every day add up ? what I call ?activity of daily living?. Once you put your mind to it, you?ll be surprised to see how easily the time accumulates. Here are some of my favorites:
- Take the stairs, even an extra floor or two counts.
- Park further away from the building entrance in a parking lot.
- Lose the TV remote and get up to change the channels.
- Walk around while talking on the phone.
- Taking an extra lap around the mall to ?window shop?.
- Be ?inefficient? at home, and make multiple trips around your house.
Try wearing a pedometer to chart your progress ? every 2500 steps is about 1 mile, and burns roughly 100 calories. This takes about 15-30 minutes, depending on whether you?re moving at a brisk pace or a casual stroll. That?s about 10 pounds in a year.
What are some of your ?activities of daily living? in the winter months? Drop me a line!
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