Just move it!

I heard a couple of things on the radio this week (so they must be true!). Firstly, sitting is known as the ‘new’ smoking: that being sedentary can be as harmful to our bodies in the long term as smoking. And secondly, the average pensioner is more active than the average 35-60-year-old, who spends most of the day sat down at work, or hunched over a screen – sitting for at least 8 hours every day.

Regular readers of this blog will know how often I write about moving more. Just doing a little bit more every day counts. But today is different: today is a battle cry for doing more than a couple of calf raises while waiting for the kettle to boil, or some stretches during the adverts on TV. Today, I urge you: if you don’t usually do much, try to do significantly more than you normally would. Double the length of your lunchtime walk; hold a plank for longer than you think you can; run up the stairs rather than amble; grab a skipping rope and jump for two minutes; dance wildly for half an hour; sign up for a new class or do a more challenging online class. Encourage people around you to join in. You know how much you can do, so do it! Your body will thank you for it in the long run.
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If you need some inspiration, I’ve produced a series of easy-to-use exercise guides with photos. Order them from my website www.cleanwellbeing.com.
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