Tips for Mental and Spiritual Wellness Think Safety Tips
Physical Activity
10 Ways to get started:
- Get off the couch.
- Tell yourself you can do it.
- Take control.
- Set goals.
- Create an action plan.
- Schedule activity into your day.
- Find an activity partner.
- Start with light activity.
- Try something new.
- Reward yourself.
Being active...
- Refreshes the mind and increases energy
- Relieves stress and tension
- Helps your heart, lungs, and muscles work more efficiently
- Can be a social activity with friends and family; or a solitary relaxing time
- Helps contribute to a healthy mind and body.
Find time. When you feel you are too busy in the day to set aside a specific time to be active, do what you can. Remember that every little bit of physical activity counts. Active people who incorporate physical activity into their everyday routine are more likely to remain active people throughout their lives.
Try to use shorter amounts of time where activity naturally fits into your schedule. For example, take a look at your schedule and check off places where you could walk instead of drive.
Make physical activity fun. Think of physical activity as a way of life, not a chore. Add some fun to your physical activity to keep you motivated. Include a mix of activities to prevent boredom. Invite friends to join you for a walk or a game of mini-golf after dinner. Include walking meetings at work. You can still have a productive meeting and have the added bonus of feeling energized afterward. Go window shopping on a lunch break instead of eating at your desk.
Get "in motion" at work.
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator and walk up the escalator.
- Take a walking break instead of a coffee break.
- Walk your message over to your co-worker's desk.
- Get off the bus a stop earlier or park in a lot farther from your workplace.
- Organize a before work walking club.
Get "in motion"with your family.
- Take family adventures and see the sights of your community. Try berry-picking, going to the park, visiting the zoo.
- Take a walk after dinner.
- Plan an active getaway. Swim at the beach, take a walking tour of a city, explore a national or provincial park.
- Walk your kids to school or start a walking school bus.
- Teach your kids some of the old games like hide and seek or hop scotch.
Increase activity at home.
- Hide your TV remote and get up to change the channel.
- Get outside and mow the lawn, rake the leaves, or shovel the snow.
- Wash your car by hand.
- Put on some great upbeat music when cleaning.
- Do activities while watching TV or during the commercial breaks.
Share with your community. Here are some ways you can help to encourage more people in your community to be active:
- Collect new and used sports equipment to donate to sports teams, community centres, child care centres or schools.
- Organize a group physical activity program in your local seniors' complex.
- Lead a shared ride program to reduce transportation costs.
Be safe.
- If you have been inactive, check with your doctor before beginning to exercise.
- Ensure that where you are doing your physical activity is well lit and safe.
- Always wear a helmet when biking, skateboarding or inline skating.
- Don't over-do it. Be aware of signs of overexertion (difficulty breathing, dizziness, excessive fatigue). It is better to take a break or to slow down rather than push too hard.
- Drink small amounts of water before, during and after you are physically active. Drinking water is important in all seasons. It is especially important to drink water extra in warm weather and when you are sweating heavily.
- Stay alert. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are.
Warm up. A warm-up before exercising is very important. Warming up raises your body temperature and prepares your muscles, nervous system, tendons, ligaments and cardiovascular system for physical activity. Warm-ups greatly reduce injuries.
To warm up, do five minutes of light activity (marching on the spot, side steps, light walking) before moving on to more moderate and vigorous exercises.
Cool down. A cool-down is as important as a warm-up. Abruptly stopping an activity may cause cramps, soreness and other problems. The cool-down gradually reduces the body's temperature and heart rate.
To cool down, gradually reduce the intensity of your exercise and continue to do five minutes of light activity (marching on the spot, side steps, light walking). Follow up your cool-down with some stretches.
Increase your level of activity.
- As you become stronger, take fewer breaks.
- Add intervals of moderate to fast pace exercises into your routine. For example, 30 seconds fast, one minute moderate.
- Increase the length of time you are active.
- Walk, jog, or bike on routes with hills.
Get active at work. Humans are designed to be active on a daily basis, so we need to look for ways to move more often throughout the entire day. Here are some tips:
- Replace a coffee break with a walking break.
- Walk to talk to a colleague instead of sending an e-mail.
- Sit on an exercise ball at your desk.
- Make up a team and participate in a community physical activity charity event and then train together.
- Stand up and stretch when you answer the phone.
- If you need to drive somewhere, park farther away and walk a little.
- Take a periodic stretch break at your desk. Get up, march in place then stretch for 5 to 10 minutes for every hour of sitting.
- Engage co-workers by having walking meetings. Try walking and talking instead of sitting in a meeting room.
- During lunch or work breaks, walk around the block for at least 10 minutes before returning to work.
- Take stairs instead of elevators. Start gradually by getting off the elevator a few floors earlier and using the stairs the rest of the way. Over time, increase the number of flights.
- Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office. Be ready for activity wherever you are.
- Choose active modes of transportation to get to work, such as walking, cycling or in-line skating.
- If you take the bus to work, get off a few stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.
- Use a pedometer to mark a set distance around your workplace, either indoors or outdoors and encourage co-workers to complete a pre-determined distance over several months.
- Schedule physical activity in your business calendar and treat it as any other important appointment.
Tips for Mental and Spiritual Wellness Think Safety Tips