The Magic of Moving: Simple Ways to Exercise without a Gym

As a family physician, if I could only prescribe one thing for the rest of my life, it would be exercise.

The evidence is overwhelming for regular exercise as a means to improve health. It literally benefits every aspect of your body and mind. A few notable benefits include:

• Lowering the risk for (and treating) type 2 diabetes
• Helping lower blood pressure
• Preventing age related bone loss
• Helping treat depression and generalized anxiety disorder

One thing I hear often in my practice is that people do not have the time nor place to exercise. Moreover, many people that I encounter view exercise as a singular task, much like work or sleep. This could not be further from the truth.

To me, exercise simply means moving and challenging your body as nature intended. That’s it.

Think about how your ancestors lived their lives. They woke up with the sun, walked all day, bent and knelt in fields, and occasionally ran to catch or herd their food. Now think about how we live today. Many of us live our lives sitting for hours at work, consuming our food in a rush, and sitting again for long periods of time in traffic. It is my opinion that most of our modern ailments stem directly from us distancing ourselves with how we used to live- That is, how we are supposed to live.

To me, exercise is simply the effort to bring ourselves back to nature. However, you do not need to become a rural farmer to achieve this. Remember, exercise is moving our bodies as they were designed to. Exercise does not necessarily involve visits to the gym, structured classes, or prescribed movement sequences, as helpful as they are.

On this note I want to share with you some common ways to “exercise” anywhere, with anyone, and most importantly, all the time.

Number one: Walking

In my medical practice, this is the one advice I give the most. It sounds simple, and it is. Going for short walks, even for ten to twenty minutes a couple times per day, counts as exercise. In fact it is one of the best ways to stay fit in my opinion.

Think about it. When you are walking, you are relaxing the mind, pumping blood through your body, moving your lymphatic fluids, and breathing fresh air. In addition, you are strengthening your bones and balance- Key to prevent falls and fractures as we age. 

My advice? Walk often. Walk to explore. Walk to work if possible. Walk to shop. Walk after meals. Walk in your house if needed. Just walk.

Number two: Standing

If I can simplify my “don’t” advice down to one sentence, it would be “Don’t smoke and don’t sit”.

Now please understand that I am not saying never to sit. I am pointing to the fact that we sit WAY too much. In fact, one analysis published in the Journal of American Medical Association found that the average American adult sits approximately 6.4 hours per day, while the average adolescent sits a staggering 8.4 hours per day! This is significant as sedentary habit has been linked to cardiovascular disease, obesity, metabolic disease, and an overall risk of early death (as referenced in the analysis study).

While the traditional advice has been to get up from sitting every half an hour, I think that it is simply not reliable or realistic given the focused nature of our work. Instead I suggest either investing in a standing desk, or stacking some books to prop up your lap top to standing level. If neither of these two options are available, then consider squatting.

Yes! Squatting!

This may seem like weird advice, but our ancestors actually did quite a lot of this. Due to our modern chair-sitting habit, most of us have under developed gluteus and abdominal muscles, while having overactive ham strings. This combination is not only detrimental to our posture, but also our health. I believe that common conditions like low back strains, hemorrhoids, IT band syndrome, and hip bursitis can all be in large part prevented if we simply engage the correct muscles through minimizing chair sitting.

Squatting, in my opinion, provides the correct core engagement to be a viable alternative. The trouble is that most of us are not flexible enough to do this, in which case I believe stretching the Achilles and hamstring tendons are a natural place to start. Once you are able to squat with a semblance of balance, you may want to choose squatting in a chair as opposed to sitting in it.

Oh, and squatting also helps with constipation.

So in summary, sit less, stand more, and work on squatting.

Number three: Clean your house often

While I normally tell people to not treat exercise as a chore, this is one notable exception. Growing up in a traditional household, I observed my mother being the one do the housework. From wiping the floors to dusting the furniture, she did it all. What’s more, she always had a healthy glow after the job was done. It wasn’t until much, much later that I discovered the joys of doing chores.

Sure, you aren’t running in place on a treadmill or hoisting weights. However, do not discount the fact that you are standing, moving through space, stretching your fascia, and moving your limbs. The same principles with walking apply here. What is more, you will get a clean house to show for it at the end.

Number four: Create a mini exercise routine

I am talking about a truly mini routine. In fact, I believe doing more frequent short bursts of activity is more beneficial to our health than exercising intensely for a few hours and sitting rest of the day. It could be as short as one minute, or as long as half an hour. Common exercises to include here are body squats, push ups, lunges, and jumping jacks. In addition, I suggest incorporating active stretches like arm swings/circles, sun salutations, chest openers, and neck rolls.

An easy routine would look something like this:

1. 4 Sun salutations
2. 8 Backwards arm swings on each side
3. 8 Forwards arm swings
4. 8 Squats
5. 8 Jumping jacks
6. Hamstrings stretch
7. Quads stretch
8. Calf/Achilles stretch (with your hands straight out, lean forwards and push against the wall. Keep one leg bent and the other straight- The straight calf is the side being stretched)
9. Finish with a sun salutation

This routine takes no more than ten minutes, and can be done multiple times per day. I promise that you will feel more energized afterwards each set.

So, to summarize how to get the most “exercise” throughout the day:

• Walk more
• Stand often, and try squatting instead of sitting
• Do household chores and clean often
• Create mini exercise routines throughout the day

That is all!

Keep in mind that these ideas are by no means a complete list. Use your creativity to come up with ways to stay active all day. Because consistent movement is the true essence of exercise, and is what will ensure a long, graceful, and healthy life.

Until next time.

Your friend,

-Tie