Originally, physical activity was thought to be beneficial for health within the moderate to vigorous intensity domains. However, research has recently discovered that light physical activity accumulation is also very important for your health and well-being! Light activity is the minimum intensity required for independent living such as running errands around the house, brushing your teeth and light walking. There are many new technologies being released which is causing our light physical activity levels to suffer (i.e. electric toothbrushes, phone controlled heating and lighting and online shopping/delivery). Although you may think that 2 minutes of brushing your teeth may not make much of an impact but when you think long-term, losing that time each day over several years soon starts to add up and so it’s really important to try to avoid letting technology take over your activity levels!
There are many different ways in which light doses of physical activity can be built back into our lives which is commonly referred to as ‘snacktivity’. Being aware of the need to be physically active is the first step towards leading a healthier lifestyle. So here are some tips and tricks:
· If you take the bus, try getting off a stop earlier
· If you drive to the local shop, try to park further away from the shop
· Freshly chop and prepare your meals rather than buying bought microwaveable dishes
· If you work at a desk, move your printer into the next room and take regular active breaks
· Stretch the muscles to activate blood flow
The most common cause for choosing these ‘easy’ options of daily living such as online shopping and parking as close as possible to the local shop as you can is a lack of time. But every little helps! Making small changes to adopting light physical activity over long period of time can have greater health benefits than you might imagine. Light physical activity is a growing phenomenon in which we should carefully consider what technology might be doing to our behaviour. Only you know what is best for your lifestyle but do try to implement some small changes and your health and well-being will benefit 😊