Busy vs Active … which are you?

I’m pretty sure I just had an “Ah-Ha” moment (That’s what Oprah calls it right?).  I think I’ve been “convincing” myself that I’m busy, okay there is no need to convince – I AM! However, there is a difference between being busy and being active.  While I do my best to be active, it’s not consistent enough.  One week I might do 7 yoga classes and 2 training sessions, the next week I may only go for one walk, and one training class.  I need to find consistency here!  I’ve been following one lady in my area on Facebook, she has gone on a walk every single day since Jan 1st!  And not just for 20mins, she’s cranking out 8K, 10K, 12K! (believe me this lady is busy, how can you not be if you have 6 kids!?) you can follow her as well at Running on Empey

So what I just realized was that while being busy can mean: fielding phone calls, sitting at my desk in the office working on files, driving kids to various activities, doing dishes, laundry, cleaning house, grocery shopping, making meals, entertaining a 2 year old, attempting to help teenagers with homework … it does not mean Active.  I’m sure you are familiar with being busy!  Most people are, it’s not something new & we all have our variation of busy.

In a New York Times article called “Is Sitting Lethal?”  the researcher describes what happens to your body when you are sitting:  “Electrical activity in the muscles drops, the muscles go as silent as those of a dead horse, leading to a cascade of harmful metabolic effects. Your calorie-burning rate immediately plunges to about one per minute, a third of what it would be if you got up and walked. Insulin effectiveness drops within a single day, and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes rises. So does the risk of being obese. The enzymes responsible for breaking down lipids and triglycerides— for vacuuming up fat out of the bloodstream, plunge, which in turn causes the levels of good (HDL) cholesterolto fall”   YIKES!!!

Clearly I need to move more!  I need to remember that even if I do exercise 30 mins a day, it isn’t my license to be sedentary the rest of the day. Nor does it mean I can eat whatever I want in any given amount.

So here is my challenge, to myself … and to you as well if you wish!  Get Creative with movement throughout the day.  Yup, okay so I’ll admit it.  I go to the bathroom at the office, and will put in 20 counter pushups (if I come out of the bathroom flushed, I promise it’s only because I did pushups and squats!)  I squat when unloading the dishwasher.  If I am microwaving something I will do a little squat, jump routine.  I need to do more of this.  Turn daily chores into a calorie burn.

So basically, even if I’m so busy that I don’t know if I’m coming or going it does not mean that my body is getting the physical activity it needs. BUSY IS NOT ACTIVE.   I need to schedule in more “active”

I’ve considered purchasing a body monitor of some sort.  While chatting with the ladies at training one day they mentioned the fitbit have you heard of it?  The “FLEX™” looks pretty cool, and you can wear it as a bracelet. Flex™  keeps track of steps taken, cals burned, hours slept, distance traveled … pretty sure this would be a great motivator for me! Plus I can sync it with my iPhone.

My amazing Trainer Andrea of LifeDesigns has definitely helped me in getting to this “Ah-Ha” moment! Without her genuine caring, supportive ways and her kick-ass workouts, I wouldn’t be in the emotional space that I am today!