Move More

Are you ready to sit less and move more?

So, spring has finally put in an appearance after a long, cold, dreary winter. With longer days and lighter evenings now is the perfect time to get more active and boost your weight loss by moving more and sitting less.

Our day-to-day lives are full of time and energy saving devices and techniques – from hopping in the car to go pick up a pint of milk, to taking the lift at the office, to using the remote control to change the channel. All these things make our lives easier, but they also mean that we now spend more time sitting than we ever have before.

All that time spent seated is having a dangerous impact on our health. Research has shown that no matter what your total sitting time is, regular interruptions may help to reduce the risks associated with being sedentary and improve your health. Not to mention a swift stroll around the block every lunch time can help to boost your weight loss too!

With this in mind, we’ve enlisted the help of weight loss ambassador and self-confessed ‘King of activity ProPoints’ Gregg Wallace to motivate and inspire you. Every week, our community will Challenge Gregg to take part in a small achieveable fitness challenge to show you the many ways you can squeeze more activity into your day-to-day lives.

Here’s the best part – you get to choose which challenges he does! Every Tuesday we’ll be posting a poll on our Facebook page, and the challenge with the most votes is the challenge Gregg will take on. It’s that easy! Some of the challenges you could have Gregg doing are –

• Hula Hooping
• Star jumps
• Skipping
• Juggling
• Press Ups
• Plus many more!

Keep an eye on our Facebook page to have your say on what challenges Gregg will be taking on, and we’ll share the videos with you guys every Friday!

But that’s not all! We also want you guys to get involved by moving more and sitting less! Check out our top tips for reducing the time you spend sitting below, and be sure to let us know which you’ll be taking part in!

1. Find an activity that you actually enjoy – it can be anything but ideally one that keeps you moving. What about gardening, yoga, walking to the end of the street and back with your Mp3 player?
2. Move your dustbin from under your desk at work – a few feet away (or remove your bin all together so you have to use someone else’s)
3. Use the jet-wash for your car instead of the drive through. You will cut down your sitting time and your turn a weekly routine into a weekly exercise opportunity
4. Try making a small change to your phone routine – why not stand up when you’re on the phone?
5. When you are watching TV – get up during all the ad breaks, walk around the house putting things away, make a cup of tea or do some gentle stretching
6. Put the remote control away from where you are sitting so you have to stand up to change the channel
7. Think of ways you can use your laptop or smartphone whilst standing up – for example you could set it up on an ironing board on a raised table
8. Stretch at your desk – it’s a simple way to inject some movement – sedentary time is best mitigated by lots of frequent movement, even if it’s as simple as standing up and raising your arms above your head or stretching out your legs for a brief period of time
9. Whenever you have the option – at a restaurant, meeting or friend’s house – choose a barstool over a classic chair and get into the perch position. Perching gives you a break from sitting and means you don’t get stuck in the same position for the entire day
10. Why not mix up your commute? Leave the car at home – even if it’s just for one day each week and walk or take public transport
11. On public transport make standing the norm. If you have a long journey, then stand for the last 10 minutes to help cut down your overall sitting time
12. Look for opportunities to move more and sit less when travelling – stand and wait for the bus or train even if there is a seat available use the stairs rather than lifts and walk up the escalators
13. If it’s just a few plates that need cleaning after dinner wash by hand rather than loading the dish washer
14. Water the garden using a watering can rather than the hose because this will mean you need to walk around more
15. Listen to fast music when you do the housework, it will make you move more
16. Get off the bus or tube early and walk the rest of the way home… it only needs to be a few stops
17. Why not shop locally rather than driving to the supermarket. You could even cycle to the nearest high street
18. Seize every opportunity to go up and down the stairs. Feel virtuous every time you go up and down – you are burning calories as well as toning up your leg and bottom
19. Squat at every opp – instead of thinking, ‘I don’t feel like picking that up now’, view a cluttered floor as a chance to get some leg work in. Bend your knees when putting away clothes, shoes and everything else that isn’t where it should be
20. Brush and squeeze – use the time that you’re brushing your teeth to squeeze your rear muscles. Hold for one count and repeat. Do this trick in the morning and at night