Click here to access and print the 4-week Move More Challenge
The energy used throughout your day to perform your life activities is called “NEAT.” This means non-exercise activity thermogenesis. NEAT Lifestyle Activities include active transportation. This may mean walking or biking, taking the stairs, carrying your groceries, playing with your kids, and moving more in general.
Lifestyle activity has been engineered out of our lives:
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We use the elevator or escalator instead of the stairs.
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We drive to the grocery store rather than ride or walk.
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We use “small, lightweight, and powerful” vacuum cleaners, and the dishwasher washes our dishes and scrubs our pots and pans.
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At work, most of us now work in a sitting position for much of the day.
The result is that many of us need to create a plan to infuse more lifestyle activity into our lives.
During the Challenge you will access resources from the employee well-being portal in the Wellness Initiatives
Week 1: Lifestyle Activity in the Morning
“Spend more time on Self Care and you’ll spend less time on Medical Care.” Anonymous
Move More in the Morning
An active morning filled with Lifestyle Activity gives you energy and stamina. Ideas for added morning activities include:
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Walk the dog
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Walk or bike your kids to school
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Walk or bike to work if possible
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Park farther from the entrance to work
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Get off the bus, subway, one stop in advance
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Use the stairs instead of the elevator
Did you know that a person is considered sedentary if they have less than 5,000 steps a day? The goal is 10,000 but many people hover around 5,000 steps. Use a step tracker, wearable, or phone to get a benchmark of your daily activity and make some changes if you’re not active enough.
Increasing Lifestyle Activity is as simple as moving more. It’s as easy as setting a personal step count goal, and being conscious about the energy you use throughout the day to perform lifestyle activities. You can break this down into meaningful and achievable actions by planning ahead to add movement throughout your day — Morning, Midday, Late Afternoon, and Evening. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to Move More.
“If your dog is fat, you’re not getting enough exercise.” Anonymous
Week 2: Lifestyle Activity at Midday
“Movement is a natural anti-depressant.” Anonymous
Move More at Midday
A physical activity break during your lunch break is a good way to break up the work day and add some Lifestyle Activity. Some ideas to add activity at midday include:
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Plan to take a walk by yourself, or with a work colleague, a friend, or pet
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If possible, walk or ride your bike for errands — to the grocery store to pick up a few items, the pet store, the hardware store
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Schedule a walking meeting with a colleague or friend
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Walk around the parking lot
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Climb the stairs 5 times
Whether you’re working from home or at another setting, make things less convenient. For example, walk upstairs to the printer, or walk to a colleague’s office rather than calling or emailing.
Increasing Lifestyle Activity is as simple as moving more. It’s as easy as setting a personal step count goal, and being conscious about the energy you use throughout the day to perform lifestyle activities. You can break this down into meaningful and achievable actions by planning ahead to add movement throughout your day — Morning, Midday, Late Afternoon, and Evening. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to Move More.
“Sometimes just getting up and moving is victory enough.” Toni Sorenson
Week 3: Lifestyle Activity in the Late Afternoon
“Your genetics load the gun. Your lifestyle pulls the trigger.” Mehmet Oz
Move More in the Late Afternoon
Even just a few minutes of lifestyle activity in the late afternoon will energize you for the “second shift”. Ideas for afternoon activity include:
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Another walk with the dog
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Household chores such as vacuuming, sweeping, raking, gardening
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Weeding or mowing the grass
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A recreational league sport such as ping pong, tennis, frisbee, softball
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An active video game with family members
Late afternoon is often the time of day when you get to have some fun by yourself, with family or with friends. Take a bike ride, go for a run, a short hike, or participate in a gym class. Mix up your activities based on the season and enjoy longer periods of activity on the weekends.
Increasing Lifestyle Activity is as simple as moving more. It’s as easy as setting a personal step count goal, and being conscious about the energy you use throughout the day to perform lifestyle activities. You can break this down into meaningful and achievable actions by planning ahead to add movement throughout your day — Morning, Midday, Late Afternoon, and Evening. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to Move More.
“Love yourself enough to lead a healthy lifestyle.” Anonymous
Week 4: Lifestyle Activity in the Evening
“Getting older is inevitable—feeing old is a choice.” Anonymous
Your home and neighborhood is not just a place to crash. Look around and you will find lots of ways to increase Lifestyle Activity at home:
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Household chores count as lifestyle activity
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Participate in active video games with family or online with friends
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Turn on the music and dance
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Take a walk with the family after dinner and bring your dog along
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Use a treadmill or exercise bike while watching a show or listening to a podcast
In addition to adding Lifestyle Activity throughout the day when at home, you’ll want to move more when traveling and remain active when injured.
Increasing Lifestyle Activity is as simple as moving more. It’s as easy as setting a personal step count goal, and being conscious about the energy you use throughout the day to perform lifestyle activities. You can break this down into meaningful and achievable actions by planning ahead to add movement throughout your day — Morning, Midday, Late Afternoon, and Evening. Use your Challenge Sheet to record your efforts in these areas to Move More.
"Exercise is the key not only to physical health but to peace of mind." Nelson Mandela
Congratulations!
You have discovered new ways to add Lifestyle or NEAT Activities into your life. You’ve planned and added additional steps and activities in the morning, at midday, in the late afternoon, and in the evening. We hope that you have learned from the Virtual Exhibit, examined your habits, read the articles and watched the videos from the employee well-being portal, and found ways to Move More. Keep up the momentum by continuing to use the Challenge Sheet to make your new habits part of everyday living.
“Fitness is never really about what you lose; it's about all that you gain.” Toni Sorenson
Click here to access and print the 4-week Move More Challenge.