Step 6: Be active! In today’s modern world of “I want it now and I’ll get it now” life style it becomes easier and easier to do almost anything from the convenience of our phone. Shopping used to at least get people out of the house.
I remember as a child going to the store with my mom simply so she could wander and window shop. I liked going so I could look at the toys. Going to the store was an outing which burned calories. Not so much now. We window shop on Amazon, we wander around looking at people and places on Facebook and Instagram. We don’t wander in stores anymore.
Here are 4 simple things you can do to simply burn more calories. Activity = calories burned = your results!
1. Get out and move. Go to the store. Maybe you still decide to buy online after you go and try something on or look at it more closely at the store. But at least you got out of the house.
2. Park at the back of the parking lot – Sometimes you don’t want to miss that perfect parking spot right by the entrance but the rest of the time, park in the back and take those few extra steps. They add up!
3. Take the stairs. This one is huge. When was the last time you went up the stairs and did not feel you worked out? Taking the stairs daily will add to your movement for sure.
4. Get outside – Here is an easy one. Vitamin D is given to us by none other than the sun. Yes it does show up in a few different foods like Eggs and Fish but being outside for just 20 to 30 minutes get you between 1,000 and 2,000 IU which has been shown to be ideal for health and metabolism. There is mounting evidence that there is a correlation between lower blood vitamin d and weight gain. Plus being outside allows you to open your lungs and breathe fresh air. Sunlight also helps your body secrete more serotonin which helps regulate mood, appetite and may help you feel more satiated. A win-win for sure.
Action Step 5: Make parking at the back of the parking lot one of your daily goals. Make taking the stairs at work another one of your daily goals. There are several tracking APPS that track how many steps you take each and every day. I could make a goal for you hear, but I will leave that up to you. I would recommend for the first few days simply track how far you go on average and then increase it by 25% and see how you feel. Movement is the key here.