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Choose walking
Whenever you grab the car keys and
prepare to drive your vehicle, stop and
ask yourself – could I walk there in-
stead? All too often we drive when the
distance could be covered easily on
foot, building in a little exercise and
reducing unnecessary stress caused by
traffic jams and parking difficulties.
No more emails
If you work in an office, don’t email or
call your colleagues; get up and walk
over to chat with them instead. The
movement will be good for your body
and may make you feel more awake and
alert, as the blood starts to flow again.
Enlist a friend
Get a friend or family member involved
in the attempt to increase exercise and
their support will make everything
easier. You can go for walks together
or remind each other to take the stairs.
A little encouragement helps when the
task is difficult, and you are less likely
to cheat if someone else is checking up
on you!
Exerciseisavital componentofahealthylifestyle,butsometimes itcanbehardtosqueeze
it into your life. Try these easy tips and getmoving again!
Health
Get Moving, Live Longer
D
octors
and scientists
continually stress the
importance of moder-
ate exercise in keeping
our bodies in tip-top
shape inside and out.
Yet for many of us, try-
ing to fit gym sessions or work-outs into
a packed schedule is nigh on impossible.
But it doesn’t have to be! There are
many simple ways to get a little exercise
into your life without spending hours
at the gym. Even simple activities such
as walking can help keep your heart
healthy and your body supple, easing
off that extra weight and encouraging
blood flow to ensure internal processes
proceed with ease.
Take a look through our suggestions
and try and squeeze some of these into
your life this week – you will feel the
difference!
Stand up
You burn more calories standing up than
sitting down, so try to make a point of
working on your feet or chatting on the
phone while walking around rather than
sitting still. Stand up on trains and buses
rather than taking a seat; you could even
eat on your feet occasionally!
Stairs are best
Try and take the stairs rather than a lift or
the escalator to sneak in a bit of exercise
to your day. You may also discover you
reach your destination quicker when you
haven’t got to wait for the lift to arrive!
TV time
When choosing to watch a programme
or film on TV, shun the sofa for walking
on the spot, doing some simple move-
ment exercises or even lifting some light
weights (you can use household items
such as cans). You will barely even notice
you are doing it!
Join a class
Pick a class that appeals to you and is an
activity you would enjoy, whether it is
dancing, yoga or pilates. Meeting people
and having a regular ‘date’ with a class
will make it easy to keep up the exercise,
and you will get so much enjoyment from
it you won’t realise it is good for you!
W o r d s :
S a r a h R e e s