6 Easy Ways to Move More at Work

It's time to close my laptop and head out to my car.  Let's go home!  On my way out, I nervously glance down at my Fitbit.  I've avoided looking at it all day because I know that number is small.  My day consisted of meetings, 1:1's with my staff and a lot of time at my desk.  I barely moved at all!

That scene was becoming way too routine for me.   As a result, I was stiff and mentally groggy at the end of the day.  My body hurt.  I decided that I need to be purposeful in adding movement to my day.  The Adult Day Health Center where I work is a small building so classic ideas like taking the stairs instead of the elevator aren't an option (there are no stairs!), but there are ways that I could help myself move more.

1) Put down the phone and go talk to the person face-to-face.  Between phone calls, e-mail and texting, it would be easy to go for long stretches of time without talking to someone face-to-face.  Besides increasing your movement I bet that this will improve your relationships with your co-workers. 

2) Print out your work on a different printer.  I have a private printer in my office, but I also have access to the public printer.  For items that don't need to be kept confidential, I'll use the public printer.  I have to leave my office and walk to pick up those papers.

3) Use the bathroom that is farthest away from you.  Just plan wisely so you have enough time to get there!

4) Use a coffee mug or small water bottle during the day.  I had been using a fairly large plastic cup to ensure that I would drink water during the day.  My co-worker drinks out of a small coffee mug.  One day I suggested to him that he get a larger mug or a water bottle to drink from during the day.  His reasoning for using that coffee mug makes a lot of sense - the smaller glass forces him to get up and refill his mug often throughout the day causing him to get up and move.

5) Take a lap!  If I have a day where I am sitting in my office for long periods of time, I'll set my phone timer for 45 minutes.  When it goes off, I get up and walk a lap around the large room that makes up our Adult Day Center.  That gives me a chance to stretch and an opportunity to interact with our clients and my staff.

6) Invite a co-worker to take a walk over lunch.  There are two great aspects to this idea besides adding movement to your day.  Inviting someone to join you adds accountability and gives you an opportunity to take your mind off of work and socialize.  There have been many times I've popped into our breakroom and several staff members are sitting in there in silence playing on their phones.

These ideas sound simple, but how often does a day go by that I don't do any of them?  More than I'd like to admit.  The key is being purposeful about it.  Making a conscious effort to get up and move.  Making healthy choices is a daily thoughtful decision.  It's something I have to do everyday.  So TODAY I choose to add more movement to my day!  Let's get up and go!

It was His Idea!

On my way home from work this afternoon I made up my mind to go to either my Praise Moves or Zumba class.  I had left work on time so there was plenty of time to make dinner for my family before hopping back in the car.

When I walked in the front door, I found my son sitting at his desk finishing his homework.  He'd been hard at work since he got home from school, he said, which had been nearly two hours before my arrival.  As I was putting dinner in the oven, he came out of his room and plopped down on the couch.  He grabbed his video game controller and fired up a game of football.

If I leave, I thought, he is going to sit here all night playing game after game until he heads to bed.

"Hey J," I called into the Family Room.  "Want to go out and catch ball after we eat?"

"Sure Mom!"

After dinner we went outside to toss the football.

"Want to try one of the reps we did at my Muscle Monday class?"

Eye rolling.

"Come on.  It will be fun!" I said walking to edge of the backyard.  He reluctantly followed me.

"We'll do three burpees and then lunge walk to the other side of the yard.  Three burpees and lunge walk back.  We'll do that twice.  Go!"

We finished our reps and returned to tossing the football while chatting.

"Want to try one of the warm-ups from my tennis camp?"  my son asked out of the blue.

My inner response: Are you kidding?!?!?  YES!!  I'd LOVE to!!  Let's go!!  Whoop!  Whoop!  {jumping up and down while rapidly clapping}

My outer response: Sure.

"Run down and back across the yard.  Do three push-ups.  Run down and back.  Two push-ups.  Run down and back.  One push-up.  Run down and back."

After completing the warm-up and catching our breath, we returned to tossing the football.

Walking to the far side of our yard, my son spoke up again.  "Let's try this.  If I get the football into the hoop, we head inside.  If I miss, we do another one of your reps."

Sounded good to me!  It was a crazy shot that I didn't think he would make . . . ever!

He missed his first shot.
We did 10 squats and one suicide.

He missed his second shot.
We did 12 split squats per leg and 12 calf raises.

He missed his third shot.
We ran another suicide.

He missed his fourth shot.
We did a 30-second plank.

He made his fifth shot!

We headed inside - sweaty, covered in grass and laughing!  What made the night so great for me was that even though I  got the ball rolling, my son ran with it.  It was his idea to keep going with the reps and to add in the crazy football hoop throw.

This is one of those nights for me to reflect back on when I think that my desire for our family be healthy is falling on deaf ears.  When I'm feeling frustrated that change is not happening fast enough.  A moment in time to acknowledge that my kids are listening and grasping the concept that being active is fun and not a chore.  My plan is working!

Photo Credit - Ellie Jenkins

 

Stopping to Smell the Roses . . . or in this case the Teenage Boy Smell

This afternoon I was leaning against a rusty fence standing in the wet grass wearing my dress pants and dress shoes as a heavy wind whipped my hair across my face sending chills through my bones while I watched my son throw shot put for his junior high track team.  Suddenly it hit me . . . I'm standing here watching my son throw shot put for his junior high track team!!!!

Pre-Throw Pep Talk from the Coach.
My son is the kid in the purple sweatshirt.



One of my biggest insecurities in life is that I will not be a good parent.  I want my kids to grow up to love the Lord, have a happy family, enjoy being physically active more than they enjoy laying on the couch and maintain a little bit of silliness.  My prayer is that they work hard while constantly setting goals for themselves and that they are willing to try new things every once in a while.  I worry constantly that they won't see the example I am trying so hard to be for them with my own life.  I am so afraid that my mistakes and wrong choices will out-weigh my good ones in their minds.

JJ making his first throw of the Meet.



I realized today as I stood by that fence that JJ is seeing me.  Up until a few weeks ago he had never thrown shot put.  I don't even know if he had ever thought about the shot put.  He was coming off an incredible basketball season that had lasted over five months.  In the past, he's looked forward to being able to come straight home after school, dive on the couch and pick-up his video game controller.  This year was different.  JJ wanted to continue the daily workouts he was getting with basketball practice.  He wanted to continue to develop the newly visible muscles popping out on his legs and arms.  He wanted to continue hanging out with his friends and not coming home to hang out in his room.  Who cares if he had no idea exactly what he's doing on that field?  JJ wanted to have fun and keep active.  That's what I've been trying to drill into his brain for the past several years.  Somehow . . . even when I didn't realize it or think it was possible . . . he heard me! 



Life moves fast.  I go from work to home to activity to cooking to budgeting to driving to organizing to cleaning to . . . my mind is either buried in my To Do List or clouded with worry about the future. Today I realized that while I am constantly encouraging my children and telling them how proud I am of them, I need to stop and truly be in the moment.  I need to give myself the gift of celebrating the reality that I am a good parent.  My children are seeing the example that I am working so hard to be for them.  As the classic saying goes - I need to stop and smell the roses.  Or in this case the wet grass and teenage boy smell . . . two of the sweetest scents I know!

Tapping Into the Power of Ice Cream

Another basketball season has ended for my fourteen year-old son.  He's coming off of three months of two-hour workouts six days a week.  I'd pick him up from practice and he'd get in the car with sweat dripping off his ear lobes and his hair as wet as when he steps out of the shower. Over these past three months he's lost over 20 pounds and gained visible muscle.  Friends, family and teachers are commenting on how great he looks.  I can tell that he feels great.  This is the first time in his life that he has physically seen the impact of his hard work. 

The challenge now is how do I keep him motivated.  I know how easy it is to fall back into old habits.  I also know that it is one thing to have your coach getting on your case about pushing harder versus your mother!

As I contemplated my next move in keeping me family active, I thought of the one thing that surprised me during our Family Fitness BINGO challenge last month . . . the extreme power that the promise of ice cream has on my children.  It was the prize of an ice cream treat for the first couple of BINGO's that excited them to participate in my little game.  The coupons I made were barely in their hands before they were lunging for the freezer. 

I guess that it shouldn't have surprised me too much.  My husband and I both come from a long lineage of ice cream lovers.  There is always a carton of ice cream tucked somewhere in our fridge.  does not like to eat the same thing too close together, but he could eat ice cream every single day!  My kids ask for ice cream constantly.  So why not use that to my advantage?

Bribery?  NO!  Motivation?  YES!

It's been five days since the last basketball game.  I haven't bugged my son for five days.  He's laid on the couch and played video games to his heart's content.  We enjoyed a fun weekend with friends filled with snacks, meals out and pop.  Now it's time for me put together my game plan for keeping him - and the rest of us - motivated.

Starting tomorrow in the Jenkins' Household: For every five workouts (30 minute minimum) you will earn an ice cream treat.  Charts are created, hanging on the wall and ready to go!

Family Fitness BINGO!

I feel as if I am constantly fighting a battle to get my family off the couch, away from their electronics and on the move.  Eating healthy is an entirely different battle - one that frustrates me to my core!  As a result, I am always on the look out for creative fun ways to get my family active and eating healthier.  Inspiration struck after reading the January Challenge for my Moms Run This Town group (Thanks to our great leader - Melanie Fleming!) . . . Family Fitness BINGO!



 Simple, Fun, and as inexpensive as I wanted to make it!  The goal: Keep you family moving and thinking, at least a little bit, about making healthy choices.  Here is how it works:

1) Create individualized BINGO cards for each member of your family.  Post them somewhere in your home where they will seen often. 

In my family we are all at very different fitness levels so there are activities on each card that can be done as an individual, but also ones that can be done together.  For example, my son JJ is currently playing in two basketball leagues.  There are squares on his card that say "Have 2 basketball practices in 1 day."  My daughter Ellie is much less active.  There are squares on her card that say "March in place during the commercials of 1 TV show."  My husband Jamison and my cards have activities that match the kids - "Shoot free throws with JJ" and "Kick a ball with Ellie."   There are also family squares such as "walk around the block."  I included healthy eating on the cards, too - "Eat fresh fruit," "Drink water ALL day" and "Have carrots for a snack."  It did not take me long to create the cards.


  

Close-up of Ellie's card.

I posted my family's cards on the side of a kitchen cabinet.



2) Come up with prizes.

 

This is where you can make this as free or expensive as you want.  My family is on a tight budget so I actually spent more time thinking about the prizes then creating the cards. 

 

Normally, I try not to use food as a reward, but in this case I am.  My family LOVES ice cream!  My husband and I had talked about not wanting to have ice cream in the house that much seeing as it is such a HUGE temptation for everybody, so an ice cream treat is the perfect reward.  I made coupons redeemable for one ice cream treat.  When you get your first BINGO, you will get an ice cream coupon.  (I bought the ice cream at the grocery yesterday.  It is wrapped in a bag and hidden in the back of the freezer.  No cheating Jamison!)  I did not keep this prize a secret.

 

I also created a prize for when my family covers half of their cards to help keep them motivated throughout the entire month.  Each of them have special things that they enjoy that we don't do often due to our tight budget.   For Ellie, I stopped at our favorite frozen yogurt place and got a $5 gift card.  JJ loves Little Caesar's Hot-n-Ready Pizza so I got him a $5 gift card to Little Caesar's for a pizza to share.  Jamison loves Chinese food so I got him a $10 gift card to our local Chinese restaurant where he can treat himself to fried rice for lunch.  These gift cards and a homemade certificate of accomplishment are in individual sealed envelopes that can't be open until the goal is achieved.  (I have to confess that as I am typing this I am cringing a little bit - my prizes are not that healthy!)

 

Finally - the GRAND PRIZE!  I am SO excited for this one.  If all FOUR of us can cover our BINGO cards by the end of the game, we are going to play LASER TAG!!  I have a fourth sealed envelope that already has the money set aside with money for 6 people (The kids can each bring a friend.) to play laser tag, hit the arcade and get a snack from the snack bar. This will be a HUGE treat for my tight-budget-living-family (and hopefully I am correct that none of them read my blog - otherwise I just blew it.)!   



 

There is so much room to be creative with your prizes.  They can be free - play your favorite board game, watch the movie of your choice, winner picks the dinner menu.  Completely non-food related - a manicure, new socks (This one may sound silly, but JJ is constantly asking for a new color of Elite Basketball socks!), trip to a movie.  It's up to you how you want to organize the prizes.  It's also up to you if you want to keep the prizes a secret or let your family know what they are working toward.  My family is driven by the anticipation of not knowing what is in those envelopes!

 

3) Determine your time frame.

 

I am giving my family four weeks plus one day to completely fill their BINGO cards - January 4th thru February 1st.  That's 29 days to complete 24 activities so there is obviously room for missed days.  I think we can handle that!

 

4) Introduce the BINGO Game and the rules to your family.

 

The rules are simple:

1. Complete all 24 activities on your BINGO card within the given time frame.

2. You can only check off one square a day even if you do more than one activity.

3. The fact the you already crossed off a square should not stop you from completing an activity listed in another square on that same day (Ellie tried to find a loophole and not eat the cut-up apple I gave her with dinner since she had already crossed of "Eat Fresh Fruit" when she ate an orange with her lunch.).

 

5) HAVE FUN!

 

All that is left to do is dive in and have fun.  Your enthusiasm and dedication to the project will set the tone or you entire family. 

 

If all goes as I think it will, you'll hear us shouting BINGO I'll be sharing pictures from Extreme Laser Storm in four weeks!