5 Tips To Get More Movement Into Your Daily Routine

It can be challenging staying in shape and keeping fit when you have busy work and social schedule. Below Louisa shares her tips on maintaining a good work-life balance and how to get more movement into your everyday routine and improve your physical activity:

1. Change up your daily commute and get moving before you even reach the office or hit the streets on your way home. Walk, bike or get off a stop or two early. You should be reaching at least 5,000 steps per day but be aiming for 10,000 steps. Exercise boosts your mood and well-being and is a great way to find some headspace. Its take two weeks to make a new habit and fitness trackers and apps are a helpful way to track your activity and a gentle reminder to stay active everyday and reach your targets.

2. Build more activity into your day and make every moment count. There are lots of phone and apps on the market that help you schedule breaks, remind you to step away from the computer and guide you through work friendly exercises. Try adding some easy desk exercises to release neck and shoulder tension. Add gentle neck stretches by lowering your chin to your chest, tilting your head to one side and rolling the shoulders back and down. To avoid pins and needles and to get your circulation going introduce leg stretches, heel and toe movements or ankle circles. Stand more and move your spine, even if its for a short period of time, it's an effective way to counteract the ill effects of sitting and counts as part of NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). NEAT is the energy expended for everything we do that does not include sleeping, eating, or exercise; and ranges from simple things like standing and fidgeting to moving about. Standing burns more calories than sitting plus walking to a co-worker instead of sending an email or taking the stairs in place of the lift all add to your total daily steps.

3. Get outside, fresh air and time away from your desk will increase energy levels, focus and getting your body moving maximises your health and fitness step by step. You’ll get more done with more energy, a brisk walk is one of the best natural energisers around. It boosts circulation and increases oxygen supply to every cell in your body, helping you to feel more alert. Try walking on your lunch break to achieve more in the afternoon. If the sun is shining get outside for a vitamin D hit.

4. If you have an uncomfortable office chair or suffer from lower back pain or tension in the hips consider investing in a Pilates foam block or Posture brick to sit on to help aid better posture. It does this by levelling the pelvis, raising the hips for a straighter spine and changing your posture by a few degrees. Alternatively switch your office chair for a large exercise ball. Unlike a chair, sitting on an exercise ball engages your core muscles and helps to improve your stability.

5. Squeeze in a workout before, during your lunch break or after office hours. By joining LDM you have the option to access our award-winning workouts anytime and anywhere. Select from payg Live-Streamed classes, the On Demand subscription or a hybrid of Live-Streamed classes and the On Demand platform aka LDM Ultimate Membership. Encourage any friends or work colleagues to also sign up to help you stay accountable. There is a big shift towards health, fitness and well-being in the workplace and we support many companies with their wellness programmes. Try suggesting a weekly or monthly fitness class or event to your boss, it’s a great team building activity.

If you find your motivation through community, join the July Challenge to help hold yourself accountable with your fitness goals. The 31-day curated online and outdoor movement schedule is designed to help you stay on track and stay motivated for an entire month. It's not about training yourself into the ground instead it's about creating positive changes to your fitness, health and well-being with our support and guidance.

Discover more and sign up to join the LDM Community!