With working from home here to stay for the foreseeable future, and the temptation of sedentary behaviour creeping in when the weather starts to cool, you need a game plan to get you working out on a consistent basis. One of the best ways to make a move towards more regular exercise is to make it a date.  

My health for life coach and exercise physiologist, Hayley Doldissen, explains that when we make a conscious decision to include activity in our day, it helps us reduce the risks associated with prolonged sitting. 

Being sedentary and sitting still for excessive periods of time can increase our risk of developing chronic health conditions like type 2 diabetes, with some calling prolonged sitting the new smoking. 

“Simply moving more and sitting less throughout the day is important for our health,” says Hayley. 

Allocating time for exercise can be a powerful tool. There’s something very motivating about seeing it as a regular commitment, just like an appointment you might make for a haircut or a meeting. 

“You can schedule exercise and movement breaks into your calendar and wear your exercise clothes during the day so you’re already dressed and ready to go,” she says. 

Hayley says you can make a ‘mini’ date with exercise if committing to a longer session isn’t achievable. “That might be doing 10 squats before you sit down to start work, walking on the spot as the kettle boils, or doing 10 star jumps before lunch. Pick something that’s a part of your daily routine and start to attach and associate a little bit of movement with it.” 

If the simple act of scheduling it in your diary isn’t motivating enough to close the gap between intention and action, we can use technology to remind us to make movement a priority when we’re focused and concentrating at home.  

We have an abundance of productivity tools like smartphone apps and fitness trackers we can wear including Fitbits, Garmins, and Apple Watches. Hayley says we all need a reminder now and then while we’re getting used to a new habit. 

“If you find yourself sitting a lot, use a timer or app to remind you to get up and move more,” she says. 

“Once you implement some strategies to move more and commit to these, many of them will become habits over time and you’ll simply be moving more without even realising it.” 

Keep it realistic to fit in with your life, and make a date with exercise until it becomes a healthy habit you look forward to, because good health matters every day!