Easy Ways to Add Activity to Your Busy Schedule
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Are you sitting at a desk all day? Often inactive and trapped scrolling endlessly through your social media while laying on the couch all day? In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we break down how prolonged sitting impacts your metabolism, muscles, and even your mental well-being. But don’t worry—getting more movement into your day is easier than you think!
I share actionable tips that can seamlessly fit into any busy schedule. From quick stretches to squats, these mini workouts can be life-changing. Plus, I cover how technology like smartwatches and apps can help you stay active.
I also discuss:
02:40 How sitting for almost eight hours a day is linked to five important health issues.
07:33 How movement is going to boost your energy
14:19 How it actually looks like to get moving throughout your day
22:39 The importance of a daily step goal
And more!
If you want more from me, be sure to check out...
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Website: www.juliealedbetter.com
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Amazon Storefront: Julie Ledbetter's Amazon Page
Transcript:
[00:00:00] Hey, beautiful human, can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you, but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter. I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. Stay tuned. If you're ready to embrace a real let's get it. Let's go. You. [00:00:23]
[00:00:28] Do. [00:00:28]
Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast. All right, sister, it is no secret that so many of us spend a large part of our day sitting down. In fact, research has shown that adults in the United States are sedentary for about 7.7 hours each day. Is that surprising, or do you feel like that's actually accurate? Whether it's because you're sitting at a desk for long periods of time, or maybe you're binge watching your favorite show. You have long commutes, you're sitting in the car, you're most likely sitting down more than ever before. And that's not your fault. It's really how society has been built, whether you're, you know, driving to and from carpool to school to school activities, you're sitting down for a large majority of your day. But there are some simple shifts that you can make into your daily life to help combat this. So in today's episode, I really want to dive into how to beat your sedentary lifestyle and kind of the negative effects of sitting down too much and the benefits of getting more movement throughout your entire day. So I'm going to be sharing with you how I personally get some movement in and just some tips and tricks. And also, hopefully this inspires you to get moving throughout your day a little bit more. But before I dive in, I want to share this review. It comes from actually there is no name that it comes from, but she just said love, love, love. And she gave a five star review and said, Julie's podcasts are so amazing. I have really focused on more positive mindset about my self-worth and positive body image. Since listening. I now listen to my body more concerning about workouts and give my body their rest and nutrition that it needs. I feel so strong both physically and mentally. I look forward to listening to these inspiring podcasts. I also love the amazing and easy structure to fit into our busy lifestyles. I'm so grateful that the podcast is helping you, and that you feel like the advice is something that is kind of sustainable. That's always my goal is to either empower, encourage or inspire you in some way, shape or form to get up and get moving, and also to do what you can with what you have right, and learn how to create a sustainable lifestyle that you can maintain long term. But before I dive into today's episode on really how to get more movement throughout your day, I first want to dive into how sitting for almost eight hours a day is linked to five important health issues. So number one, sitting down all day actually does have a negative impact on your metabolism. So if you're sitting down all day with very little movement it can have a large effect on your metabolism. Basically what happens is that you are decreasing your body's ability to regulate blood sugar and break down fats, which are two key things for a healthy, functioning metabolism. So even short periods of standing or light walking throughout the day, this can have a positive impact on your metabolism and your body needs movement to be optimized. Our bodies are created to be in a forward moving pattern, right? Number two, sitting all day can actually lead to muscle atrophy, which is just essentially muscle breakdown. So if you're sitting for long periods of time I'm talking like extended periods of time. This can cause muscle loss, particularly in the lower body. You know, your hamstrings, your quads, your glutes. Which makes sense, right? Essentially, they can weaken and atrophy due to the lack of use, which then reduces your overall muscle strength and endurance, which is not what we want. And that's obviously because you're sitting down, you're not using your glutes, you're not using your hamstrings, your quads. Because even when you're walking around and you're doing as much as you can to move throughout the day, you're still utilizing those muscles. But when you're just sitting down for, you know, extended periods of time, I'm talking eight, nine, ten hours a day and very little movement throughout the day. Over time, those muscles are going to break down. Number three, sitting all day makes you more susceptible to weight gain. This is kind of a given, right? But when you're sitting for extended periods of time, your body obviously is going to burn fewer calories compared to standing or moving, which can lead to an energy imbalance and weight gain over time. Studies have shown that people who sit for prolonged periods of time tend to gain weight more rapidly, especially around the abdominal area, which is linked to also metabolic issues. Number four sitting for long periods of time. This can actually cause past posture problems and back pain. This is huge. So many people struggle with back pain and so many people struggle with posture problems. And when you're sitting for long periods of time with poor posture, this is obviously going to lead to back and neck and shoulder pain, because these long periods of sitting is going to put stress on the spine, which can also cause your spine, spinal disc to compress, right. Plus having poor sitting posture, this can lead to a lot of strain on your neck, your shoulders, which then leads to unwanted muscle imbalances, tension headaches, and other uncomfortable issues. And last but not least, number five at sitting for long periods of time can negatively impact your mental health. Obviously, right when you're sitting for long periods of time, extended periods of time often. Ten times it's inside. Often times there is very little natural light that you are getting. Whether it's you're in an office building, you're in your house, you're, you know, you're binge watching a show and you constantly keep like the blinds shut so that you can see the TV, all of these things you don't really think about until you actually realize that dang me sitting down for this extended period of binge watch, you know, an entire season on a Saturday and Sunday, that's obviously you're not going to get to the end of Sunday and feel your best, especially going into a new week. And mental health is so important, and mental health affects your physical health so much. I've personally learned this, especially because I do. As much as I talk to you guys about movement, my job primarily is sitting at a computer programing workout, sitting at a, you know, sitting down, creating reels, creating social media posts, all of those things. And those things could lead me to be very, very sedentary unless I actually make it a point to, you know, get up and get moving. And sitting all day has been linked to increased risk of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression. It's actually also obviously linked to reduce blood flow and that lower production of mood enhancing chemicals like endorphins that happen with inactivity. Right. These, are more short term effects, but we also can't forget the long term effects which sitting has been linked to cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and most importantly, the shortened lifespan. I know it's hard to, you know, do things that are going to benefit you in your 40s or 50 or 60 years. But I'm telling you that you taking the steps now, whether you're in your 20s, your 30s, your 40s, you taking the steps now is really going to help set you up long term. Or even if you're in your 50s or 60s, please know it is never too late to start moving. It is never too late to start incorporating more activity into your day to day. And so now that I've kind of discussed how sitting down can harm you, I kind of want to move into a more positive note by really exploring and sharing with you the amazing benefits of how movement itself is linked to so many incredible things. So number one, obviously more movement is going to give you boosted energy. So if you're someone who is always feeling tired, I want to encourage you to get moving. This is especially important if you are just if you're not getting enough, sleep well. Number one, if you're not getting enough sleep, I will always encourage you to prioritize a nap. If you if that's something that you can fit in your day. If you're truly, genuinely not getting enough sleep, you know getting an adequate amount of sleep is going to be important. But if that's not an option, I know it sounds contradictory, but if you can get up and get moving, you will actually feel so much more energy. And just doing that for a few minutes a couple times a day, if that's something that you're very sedentary, just start doing, you know, ten, 15 minute blocks. Every 2 or 3 hours you will feel so much better. It gets your blood flowing. It brings more oxygen to your brain and muscles, which is going to help you feel more alert and energized. Number two, more movement obviously is going to give you a mood boost. I don't know about you, but the moment I start moving, I just immediately feel better. And it doesn't even have to be this intense movement, right? It can be this low impact on my walking pad while I'm working. So I'm still, you know, productive in my working session. But I'm also moving my body. But physical movement just triggers this release of endorphins. These feel good chemicals in your brain. And so just a few minutes of walking or stretching this is going to help tremendously in your mood, reduce stress and overall improve your mental well-being. Number three movement actually helps to improve your focus. So short breaks for movement can help to improve your concentration your productivity. So if you think that you don't have the time to take a break from work or the chores, whatever you're doing, please think again. Because if you are not being productive in your work session, or you're finding that you know you can go in an hour and a half blocks, but after that hour and a half, you just start to lose focus. I want to encourage you to even get up for five minutes or switch it up. If you have a standing desk or you have the option to get a standing desk, turn on that walking pad. Start walking for 30 minutes if you can, and just see that your productivity itself is going to increase. I don't know about you, but the moment that I start moving, I just feel like I am more productive. So whether that is you taking a break and going outside for some fresh air and then coming back to your work, or if you have the ability to get a standing desk and a walking pad and turn on that walking pad while you're working, or while you're watching TV or while you're, you know, watching the kids play. Whatever it is I'm telling you, it will help so, so much. Number four, it will help you overcome your afternoons, some sitting for long periods of time. This is going to obviously lead you to feel tired and sluggish. You. I know what I'm talking about. 3 p.m. hits. You feel like there's no way that you can finish the day without an energy drink or a cup of coffee. But I'm telling you that if you can prioritize moving around that time or prior to that time, you will feel so much better and you'll realize that you'll get to 3:04 p.m. and you won't have as bad or even an afternoon slump at all. Number five more movement helps to improve hormonal regulation. This is actually huge, especially in women, and moving regularly has a huge effect on your body's hormonal environment. For example, resistance training is going to increase the release of anabolic hormones like testosterone growth hormone, especially for that muscle growth and muscle repair. But on the other hand, aerobic exercise, this is going to help with regulating that cortisol, the stress hormone, and increase the release of endorphins, which is going to improve your mood and also reduce the pain perception that you might be feeling. Regular activity also enhances insulin sensitivity, which can be particularly beneficial for managing and aiming to prevent metabolic disorders. So again, if you are woman, I'm telling you, there are so many benefits just linked to our hormones and movement, whether that's resistance training or aerobic exercise, low impact movement, whether that's walking, that's, you know, cycling, whatever it is that you enjoy moving, your body is going to help regulate so, so much. Number six, that's actually supports brain growth and flexibility. So engaging in regular physical activity particularly aerobic exercise. This has shown to encourage the growth of new brain cells and make the brain more adaptable especially in the area responsible for memory and learning. And this is due to the increased production of brain derived neurotrophic factor, which is also known as the BD NF, which supports the growth and survival of neurons. So for those who are familiar with fitness, knowing that exercise directly benefits the brain highlights why it is so important for you to stay active regularly, right? It's not about just staying physically fit, it's also about keeping your mind sharp and preventing memory problems as you age. Number seven improved gut microbiome diversity. So if you are feeling bloated or you're feeling gassy, constipated, inflamed, or you're struggling with other gut issues, new research has shown that regular exercise can positively influence your gut health. A diverse gut microbiome is linked to so many health benefits, including improved digestion, enhance immune function, better metabolic health, and those annoying symptoms that I just listed off like being bloated, gassy, constipated, inflamed. All those things are on a regular basis, which is pretty crazy, but also makes sense because like I mentioned earlier, our bodies were designed to move. If you think about the mechanisms in our body, we were literally created to be moving regularly. And last but not least, number eight more movement equals more regulated hormones. So regular movement this is going to help regulate your hormones such as insulin, which controls the blood sugar levels and feelings of hunger and fullness, and cortisol which is related to stress and weight gain. So keeping these hormones balanced, this can help to prevent energy dips, cravings, overeating, mood swings, weight gain and much more. So overall, studies have shown that simply breaking up those long stretches of sitting with short bursts of movement. At the very least, this is going to have a significant impact not just on your body, but also your mood, your energy, your focus, and also how much you are enjoying what you're doing, whether that's you working or you watching the kids playing or watching a show, it's going to help so much. But I want to get one thing clear. Incorporating more movement into your daily routine doesn't need to be overwhelming. It doesn't need to be time consuming. So I kind of want to dive into what it actually looks like to get moving throughout your day. And just the first couple of tips are going to be relatable to you if you are in an office or if you are working professional. Finding more ways to incorporate movement at your sedentary desk job. This is going to be for you. And then the last couple tips are going to be kind of for everybody. Number one, use the Pomodoro technique. So this method actually involves breaking up your work into focus intervals, which is usually 45 minutes to an hour long. And these intervals are known as pomodoro, which I just mentioned. These intervals are then followed by a short five minute break. So then after completing four pomodoro, you take a longer break. So typically 15 or 30 minutes doing these five minute breaks, instead of staying seated or scrolling your phone or checking emails, I want to encourage you to stand up, stretch, or perform a few quick exercises. Then, after four pomodoro aka intervals, take advantage of the longer break to engage the more substantial physical activity, like a 30 minute strength training workout or a 20 minute walk around the block or outside to get some sunshine. Number two take exercise. Snack. So when you're, you know 45 minutes is up AK your Pomodoro interval is up. Then it's time for you to take a five minute break. This can be an exercise snack right? This is just five minutes of exercise, which is also why it's called a snack. And this can include simple movements like squats or jumping jacks, desks, push ups, whatever it is trying to get your muscles activated and your energy level high. So for example, you can aim for, you know, let's say 100 sit ups or 100 crunches or 100 push ups. And no, push ups are so difficult for people. And this could be a great option and a great way for you to incorporate push ups into your day today, if you can, at the office, depending obviously, on what your office attire is. But breaking that up throughout the day and each five minute break, you can get closer and closer to that goal. Or that could be steps, right? You could. You could aim for 7000 steps in a day or 10,000 steps in a day. And that could be you getting those steps in and five minute increments throughout the day. Or you can kind of use the same concept by having like a wall set goal. So you could aim to do, you know, 15 minutes of Wall City throughout the day or whatever exercise it is that maybe you want to incorporate throughout your day or you want to get better at. This could be a great goal for you. Number three break up your dumbbell workout into exercise snacks. So another great idea for those who don't have the full, you know, 45 to 55 minutes in your day, whether that's in the morning, the afternoon, or the evening. To get your moment with Julie workout in, you can break up, you know, those super sets throughout the day. Obviously, you're likely to get it more, you know, fully done if you can do it all in one session. But if there is a busy day, or if there's a few busy days in your schedule and you still want to get that dumbbell workout in, it's okay to split it up. It's okay to do you know, the first half of the workout and then, you know, take another break and maybe continue working and then do the rest of your work workout whenever you can later in that day. That's totally fine for you to do. People ask that all the time. Like, is it going to mess up my progress? Absolutely not. It's really not. The number one thing that I say, though, is that typically people who break it up are less likely to finish the actual workout because they get distracted. You know, something comes up, life happens, and they don't actually finish the workout. So if you can, it's beneficial for you to get the entire workout done all in one session. But if that's just not feasible, totally breaking it up is absolutely something that you can do. And again, maybe this can be, you know, a couple days a week or you have a really busy schedule at work this week, but you still want to prioritize your jump only workouts. Try to do that and see how it works for you. This is kind of it's just a good idea whether you're working professional, you're busy mom, whatever it is, try this out. And if this works for you, great. Or maybe it's just something that you have in your toolbox and you know that. You know, the next time I have a really busy week and I'm able to break it up into a session, I know that I can break my workout up. Number three track your sitting time with your smartwatch. So one of the most practical ways, honestly, to track and ensure that you're not sitting for too long is to use, you know, an Apple Watch, a fitness tracker, whatever those things, you don't have to have them. I always tell people, you don't have to have these fancy fitness accessories. However, they can be beneficial because they can remind you, especially if you have the Apple Watch. They can remind you to get up every hour to ensure that you get your stand goal. So if you set your goal to 9 hours or 10 hours, it's going to encourage you every hour to at least get up for one minute is typically how it tracks to ensure that you're getting up, at least for one minute every hour, for the duration of the time that you set. And again, it's a great opportunity for you to get in that Pomodoro. And do you know whether it's wall sets or push ups or crunches or squats or whatever it is that you are setting your goal of, it can encourage you by giving you that nudge every hour, because it's really easy to lose track of time. And so having these constant prompts can be very beneficial for you. Number four get a standing desk. I am forever a fan of a standing desk. If you have the option to do that. Whether you work at a workplace, maybe you can request that. Or if you work from home. I'm telling you, you can get a pretty affordable standing desk on Amazon. They have tons and they are so, so, so beneficial because not only can you stand up, but you can have a walking pad underneath, but you can also, you know, once you're done for the day and you're like, hey, I've had, you know, a good amount of activity and I'm ready to just sit down and focus for 45 minutes, an hour, a couple of hours. You can move that desk down and have your chair. So it's super, super versatile. This is also going to help, obviously with better posture, improve your core strength, which also then reduces that back and neck pain and promotes just overall muscle engagement while you're working. Plus, standing itself, not even walking, but standing and working can boost that mental focus and productivity, which can also help you feel more alert throughout the day. Number five get a walking pad. So if you're able to get that standing desk, I'm telling you, having a walking pad is one of the best investments. I made prior to pregnancy. I got it and I will tell you prior to that, I was doing work just on my peloton and I had like a shoe box set up and that worked great. But I'll tell you, for me personally, especially when I'm programing workouts, I need to have big screens because I have a lot of things going on at once. And so for me, I have two screens and obviously I couldn't have that with my peloton tread. And so when I invested in a standing desk and I was able to have my two screens and my walking pad, everything changed. It was such a game changer. Whether you're taking calls, you're reading emails, you're attending zoom meetings, you're you're doing work. Maybe you are working on something while your kids are playing, but you're able to do three things at once, right? You're watching your kids, you're working, and you're also walking. There are so many benefits to it. And by incorporating light walking into your daily routine, it's just going to help you to add easy movement without interrupting your work flow. And personally, I love my work sessions now. Like when I'm able to go downstairs and get on my two screens and get on my walking pad and just bang out like an hour to an hour and a half work session, I feel so accomplished. Not only am I getting my work done, but I'm also getting my movement in. I'm getting at least 30 minutes of work, you know, movement in for the day. And as a busy mom now of a newborn baby, I'm telling you, I try to maximize as much as I can those nap time. So whether that's an actual workout or that's a work session, I try to do what I can with what I have. And having that standing desk and a walking pad has been a total game changer. I will link the exact one that I use on Amazon. It has. It's not only is it functional, it goes up to 3.9mph, which is, you know, that's a light jog. So if you're wanting to use it for a light jog, you absolutely can. It's at a 2% incline, which is great. And it's also esthetically pleasing. I don't know about you, but some of the walking pads that I've seen on the market are just not, as is esthetically pleasing. And this one's great, I love it, I've had no issues with it, so I will go ahead and link that in the show notes so that if you want to check it out on Amazon, you can but highly, highly recommend investing in it. It's going to be a couple hundred dollars, but I'm telling you, there are so many benefits to having it. Number six have a daily step goal. So some of you guys love this other other. If you guys hate it, I'm telling you that having some sort of step goal, this doesn't have to be 10,000 steps. It could be, you know, 3000. It could be 5000. It could be 7000. Whatever is sustainable for you. I'll tell you that when people start getting up into like 12, 14, 15, 16,000 steps per day, I personally just find that that's not sustainable long term, especially if you're wanting to aim to get that, you know, seven days a week. So if you can do 5 to 7000 steps, that's amazing. That is absolutely amazing. And if you can have that step goal, if your goal oriented, then this is going to help encourage you to get up and get moving. And this can again just be broken up throughout your day. So whether you get that walking pattern, you're getting those that those steps in as you're working or maybe you're going up and down stairs, you know, you have a few flight of stairs, whether that's at your workplace, out your home, or maybe you're getting outside, walk the dogs, going to the park to play with your kids, whatever it is, there are so many practical ways to move your body, and having a daily step goal can be super beneficial and helpful for those goal oriented gals. Number seven hold active walking meetings or at work, or do walking coffee dates. I love, love, love this incorporating movement into time with my friends or time doing work. This is so helpful. I just took an hour long meeting actually with my podcast editor, and I was walking and I got like 6000 steps or 7000 steps throughout that meeting. Super beneficial. It helped my blood flow. It also just helped me, you know, stay energetic and active throughout the meeting. And as a bonus, you're able to get those steps in. Or if you have a coffee day, ask, you know, hey, let's meet at the coffee shop and then let's go for a walk. Let's whether there's, you know, a park nearby or if you need to get in your cars and go somewhere and then go walk. Just encourage movement as much as you can with your friends, because not only is it going to benefit you in your goals, but also it's going to help you mentally and it's going to help you both just connect on a deeper level because you'll be more engaged as you're walking. And last but not least, and number eight, go for a ten minute walk after each meal. This is a perfect way to have it. Stack. I have talked about habit stacking in the past. It's essentially the concept came from Atomic Habits, which is a great book if you haven't read it before. But whenever you eat a meal, kind of stack that habit of walking on top of it. So it's something that you are already going to be doing, you know, that you're going to have to, you know, eat a meal every single, you know, a couple hours, whether that's breakfast, lunch, dinner or however you break up your meals. But if you can have it, stack a ten minute walk after that, that's going to help you. So not only to stay consistent with that goal, but also it's. Going to help you get into the routine and the habit of walking. Walking helps to stimulate digestion also. So if you do it right after you're eating a meal, it's going to encourage those muscles in your digestive tract to contract more efficiently, which can also reduce bloating and promote a healthier gut. It's going to also help to regulate blood sugar levels, which can reduce the risk of those spikes and crashes, which leads to the fatigue and the cravings later on in the day. A ten minute walk doesn't feel like that much, but if you've gotten, you know, if you do it three times a day after breakfast, lunch and dinner, or even after a snack, then you've got 30 40 minutes in. Plus, studies have shown that three ten minute walks are more beneficial to your health than one 30 minute walk. So you know whether you do the 30 minutes all at once or the ten minutes I don't want you to get caught up on, oh well, this is better. Do what you can with what you have, but just know that walking after a meal is not only going to help you to develop that habit, but it's also going to help with your digestion. Or if you work from home and you have a dog, this is the perfect time to get them outside, get them in fresh air, get you some vitamin D, and just allow you to digest that meal and get back to whatever it is that you have after that walk. So there you have it. Those are some helpful ways to get movement throughout your day. Let me quickly recap what I talked about. Number one, use the Pomodoro technique. Number two, take exercise snacks. Number three breaking up your dumbbell workout into those exercise snacks. So if you need to, breaking up that workout into, you know, the first half of the workout in the second half of the workout, in the second part of the day. Number four, track your sitting time with that smartwatch. So having those prompts every hour to encourage you to get up. Number five get a standing desk. Number six get a walking pad for your standing desk. Number seven have a daily step. Goal number eight hold active walking meetings at work or do a walking coffee date with friends. And last but not least, number nine. Go for a ten minute walk after each meal. Just remember, at the end of the day that every small burst of activity adds up. So I want you to find what fits best into your workday, into your day today, and make it a habit. So maybe that's incorporating 1 or 2 of these things and seeing how that works, and maybe it works, or maybe it doesn't. And then if you're like, hey, that doesn't work, then I'm going to try this. If that doesn't work, then I'm going to try this. There are so many different ways to incorporate movement into your day to day, and I want you to just take a couple pieces of advice and just start to implement and see how good you feel. If you love this episode, I know you'll also love and want to dive deeper into kind of overall maintaining a healthier lifestyle, which is why I want you to check out episode 422 why getting more sleep helps you build the body that you want. So those of you who maybe are struggling with sleep or you just want to learn more, you want to see, okay, you know, I know that sleep is important, but I want to learn actually, like the scientific benefits of sleep. I talk about that in 422. So I'll go ahead and link that in the show notes so that you can easily go check that out. And if you're ready to commit to more movement, I want you to check out my movement with Julie app. So this app is designed. The workouts are designed for busy women and busy mom is in mind, right? Whether you're working professional, you're a stay at home mom. Or maybe you're both. These workouts are for you. All you need is a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. I give you five brand new workouts every single week, delivered straight to your phone at 12 p.m. out in standard time on Saturdays, you have lower body, upper body, cardio and core, shoulders and glutes and full body. And like I said, very minimal equipment. Needed a few pair of dumbbells and a small space. If you want to learn more, you can go to sale. Sally.julia.com. If you are a brand new subscriber, you get 50% off your first month. Or if you want to upgrade to an annual subscription, you get three months for free so you can head over to sale. That's Sally Gottman with julie.com, but that is all that I have for today's episode. I hope that this encouraged you to get up, get active, and get moving because I'm telling you, movement is so, so key. I love you all so much and I'll talk to you in the next one.