In this technologically advanced and urbanized culture, we are faced with a new disease, Chronic Sedentary Disease.
It is easy to sit down and be entertained for hours with all of the tv shows, movies, social media, and games available to us. Let’s not forget crafting, knitting, reading, painting, and puzzling are all done seated too.
We order groceries online and have all our meals delivered to our front door. Forget going to the store to hunt down an item, Amazon makes it quick and easy with a click, click, click.
It’s easier than ever to sit down and “relax”. I use quotations because I don’t believe we often get the benefits of relaxation; I think what we really do is shut down.
Like a computer, we turn off to the world and time passes.
When we are sedentary for long periods of time, our bodies and mind become placid. We stop putting effort into maintaining strong social connections or connecting with our community.
It can be very difficult to balance our sitting time with our physical activity time, but it is possible. Keep reading to learn all about how you can find the balance between physical activity and meaningful moments, while still making time to relax and veg out.
What is Sedentary Activity?
Most of us work 8 hours a day, commute an hour or more, and have various family commitments. When we get home from a day at the office, we make supper, do a few chores and then we want to veg out in front of the tv.
Now, to clarify, that is a perfectly reasonable night. However, if this becomes every night the week, or every night the month. Well, then you just spent your entire leisure time doing very little of anything else. You probably didn’t accomplish anything, didn’t make new memories, or move forward in your life.
Inactivity can lead to negative thoughts and emotions, also poor self-esteem and body image. As a Recreation Therapist, I talk with my clients about their leisure time and I discuss with them how to balance their lifestyle but also how to prioritize their leisure habits to get the most out of their lives.
I always start off by asking them how often they are seated. This includes their workday and their commute, and their leisure habits. They start to tally it up; seven-eight hours of sleep, eight hours of work, an hour commute, then watching tv or browsing the web. Wow, suddenly out of a 24-hour day they are seated or not moving for 75-80% of it.
This is when I come in and help my client’s find balance.
So, how can you balance your lifestyle? It will take some effort and change in your behavior and habits, but it can be done. Below are a few ideas on how to moderate our highly sedentary lifestyle. Maybe this will inspire you to challenge yourself to moderate your lifestyle like I am doing.
1. Don’t Confuse Physical and Mental Exhaustion
If I come home from work exhausted, chances are it is because I am mentally not physically drained from my day. Work can be stressful, and stress takes a toll on your health.
Stress can present itself physically in the form of butterflies, headaches, or heart pain. It can also affect our behavior and what we choose to do with our time.
Recently I have been motivating myself to do more physical activity by walking around my neighborhood. I get the physical benefit from moving, but also the mental and emotional reprieve from our worries and fears.
Tip: If you love to window shop go to the mall once a week for a walk. If you are into the new Harry Potter: Wizards Unite app or still playing Pokémon Go than use it to explore your surroundings. Do it your way!
2. Moderation is Key
Like most individuals, I love to veg out. Nevertheless, I now try to keep this to a minimum. If I veg out two or three nights a week and find other activities that challenge and stimulate me the other days, then I consider my week a huge success.
It’s not about giving up the things you love, its about learning how to love other hobbies and learning how to moderate your activities. Create a manageable routine for yourself. Explore activities that will move you and motivate you.
I try and see my friends once or twice a week, I’ll try and fish or walk every other day, and if I am motivated, I will make it to yoga or for a swim throughout the month too. I like to schedule my sedentary time with specific activities too, not endless reruns of tv shows or video games.
3. Know Yourself
I have never liked the gym no matter how often I tried to make a routine out of it. But I do like to walk, hike, fish, catch up with friends and family, and I absolutely love classic rock.
By knowing myself I started creating realistic expectations because getting a gym membership is an absolute waste of money for me. I started matching my expectations to my reality.
I can usually make it to yoga once a week, I love to swim so I normally go swimming once a month, if I am walking I can listen to my favorite radio station or make a phone call to someone I love. If I happen to not go to yoga or swimming but I walked a couple of times and went fishing than I still consider that a physical activity win.
4. Beware of Your Self Talk
If you’re like me you sometimes lie to yourself, “just one more episode” or “I’ll walk tomorrow” or “I am too busy to go out”. I love to talk myself into a night at home “relaxing”.
Let’s face it, it’s really a night at home lazing around by avoiding people and commitments.
I have recently been catching myself on my lazy talk, I am starting to challenge myself if I am “too busy”. I ask myself what it is that’s taking up my time, did I create an imaginary 10-hour laundry load? Or if I say “I’ll do it tomorrow” I push myself further by saying what else could I do today.
I want to convince myself that I can do everything and more. By saying I have too little, too much, too late, or not able to, I am really just hurting myself in the long run.
Self-talk is powerful, it’s time to own the way in which we speak to ourselves, “I am enough”, “I am capable”, “I will” Those are powerful ways to talk about one’s self.
5. Create an Enjoyable Routine
If you are like me, you get a weekly planner at the start of every new school year or in January with high hopes that you are going to become the most organized person in the world. Everything will be scheduled down to the minute …. for at least a month, or a week?
Yea, story of my life too. I would also become discouraged if I didn’t reach any of the milestones or goals I had written, so that type of planning isn’t for me right now.
I have recently been printing off a monthly calendar to carry around or put on my fridge. This monthly calendar has very little on it, I don’t fluff it up with all these hopes and dreams to make it to the big leagues. I write down one item per day, it’s usually something I did or I know I will do. Like going for a walk or fishing.
It’s been helping me balance my activities because instead of sitting in front of the tv or computer every day I got home from work, now I see that I am becoming more active simply by doing the things I like. It’s also a huge reward to look at the end of a month and see how many activities you did.
Bottom Line
I am not writing this as a pro healthy lifestyler. I struggle just as much as anyone with balancing sedentary leisure behavior with other more meaningful activities.
I do know that when I am home sitting in front of a screen, I am losing out on creating and maintaining strong connections with my friends and family. I am missing out on catching the big fish and I am losing out on activities that I enjoy far more than “relaxing” in front of a screen.
The overall goal is to add and enrich your life. Hopefully, we can learn and motivate each other on this journey! Let me know what your activities inspire you to get up and go, leave your comments below 🙂
Sara Verstege, CTRS
Hi Everyone! my name is Sara. I am a Certified Therapeutic Recreation Specialist but also a crazy cat lady, lover of fishing, passionate community walker, avid swimmer, and all-around nerd. I am a born and raised Newfoundlander which is my ultimate paradise however have moved to oil country in Alberta to seek new opportunities. I dream of becoming a dog mom, a motorcyclist, and a one day owner of a tiny house. Thanks!
