Do you spend most of your day sitting with little movement?

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If you mostly sit, and engage in little other activity, there is actually some really good news for you!

But first I’m going to tell it like it is. There is also some sobering news:

There is strong evidence that shows a relationship between time spent sitting and higher mortality from all causes and cardiovascular disease specifically. The more you sit, the higher your risk category. There is also strong evidence that this is true specifically for risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes or of developing cardiovascular disease. There is only limited evidence linking sitting to cancer or weight status.

Now the good news!

You reap the most benefit the fastest in going from zero movement to “some movement” than at any other step along the way. Beginners’ Bonus!
Small but immediate improvements in health start the first day you take your first baby step.
You don’t have to engage in activity for a certain length of time. All the minutes add up! So it’s fine to take small steps to change. They count!

Ready to reset and start renewing your health? Use your I-SSEE skills to reset your level of physical activity!

(This page is a follow-up link from the article 2018 Physical Activity Recommendations. If you didn’t start there, this will make the most sense if you go back where you will find Step 1 of I-SSEE self-coaching)

Step 2: Seek reliable information

The 2018 Guidelines for Physical Activity are themselves a reliable source of information. You can read the complete document here.

The guidelines specifically address when to consult a physician before increasing your habitual activity level:

“No evidence is available to indicate that people who consult with their health care provider receive more
benefts and suffer fewer adverse events than people who do not. People without diagnosed chronic conditions (such as diabetes, heart disease, or osteoarthritis) and who do not have symptoms (such as chest pain or pressure, dizziness, or joint pain) most likely do not need to consult with a health care provider about physical activity….

Inactive people who gradually progress over time to relatively moderate-intensity activity have no known risk of sudden cardiac events and very low risk of bone, muscle, or joint injuries. …. People who develop new symptoms when increasing their levels of activity should consult a health care provider.” p. 93 2018 Guidelines for Physical Activity

Bolding added for emphasis.

Another useful tool to help you think through when it is important to contact your physician before changing your activity level is the 2018 Par-Q+ Questionaire

When in doubt, consult your health care provider.

STEP 3: Set some SMART goals!

Plan one or two SMART goals and start to improve your health today!

Examples of SMART goals for this step if you haven’t been active in years:

Every ____ (30, 45, 60) minutes, I will get up for ____ minutes and move _______ (walk up a flight of stairs, pace while taking a phone call, step in place for 2 min. ) while I am at work for one month.
I will add _____ minutes of movement (try starting with 5 min) per day and _______(choose a movement such as walking, putting on some music and dancing, sweeping floors)
I will walk around while talking on the phone 7/10 phone calls
Each day the weather is decent this month, I will park in the farthest parking spot from the door at work
I will purchase a wearable step-counter by the end of the week and will record how many steps per day I have already been taking.
Each day for a week, I will do 10 “sit-to-stands” from a chair or 5 squats
Each day for a week, I will do 10 wall push-ups or countertop push-ups

Examples of SMART goals for this step if you were active within the last year or so but have gotten out of the exercise groove:

I will take an action that will remind me of WHY I want to be active by the end of the week. (Examples of actions: write reasons on Post-it notes and put them where you can see them. Put a photo of yourself on the fridge that shows you feeling good back when you were being active.)
I will choose a reasonable re-entry level to work back up to my previous level of activity, taking care that I don’t shoot too high initially. (Examples: I will walk 15 min per day 5 days this week. I will lift weights at my previous warm up level 3 days this week and add weight gradually.)

Remember: These are just examples to get your own thinking flowing! You know what is right for you!

STEP 4 Experiment with strategies

Ask yourself these questions to help choose the kinds of strategies that will be most helpful.

What are some ways I can strengthen my motivation and keep WHY I want to make the change at the front of my mind?
What are some cues I can use to remind myself to engage in the actions I’ve chosen? Are there other cues to avoid that might lead me to do something instead of exercising?
What obstacles are likely to get in my way? (Examples of obstacles: you feel tired, you are going out to eat, other things in your schedule may crowd it out) What are some ways I can eliminate– or at least minimize—those obstacles?
What are ways that I can increase my sense of reward for achieving my goal? (Examples: noticing how I feel during or after doing the action, remembering how this action ties into my greater goals, something concrete such as a new piece of athletic wear)
What is the best way for me to track my efforts and practice self- accountability? Tracking will give you an extra “pop” of reward when you meet a goal and the possibility to tweak your strategies when you don’t. How will you track your efforts ? Will you write it down, keep up a spreadsheet, or use an app, etc.?

Examples of strategies if you hadn’t previously been active for years:

Strengthen motivation: I will remind myself of why I really want to renew my health in this way by _______post-it note where I will see it, repeating it to myself, creating a vision board, journaling about it, etc________
Add a cue: To increase my chances of remembering to add in some movement, I will set an alarm for ____ min (60 min or less) and do the action I’ve chosen when the alarm goes off
Add a cue: To help make my movement a habit, I will link it to another activity I already do every day: eg. while waiting for my coffee to get done, I will do 10 sit-to-stands from a chair, 10 wall push-ups, etc.
Avoid a cue: To avoid cues that would sidetrack me, I won’t check my phone or laptop for messages after I get home from work until after I have worked out
Overcome an obstacle: I will change into my workout clothes before I leave work or as soon as I get home. (Changing into workout clothes also serves as a cue.)
Overcome an obstacle: If I prefer to exercise outside, I will check the weather at the beginning of the week and choose an indoor Plan B in case of inclement weather.
Reward: When I’m done exercising, I’ll do an activity that is relaxing to me
Reward: If safe in the enviroment, I’ll listen to music or an audiobook while exercising
I will track my goal by ____________________ (keeping a notebook, using a spreadsheet, using an app, taking a photo)

Examples of additional strategies you might consider if you were active within the past year, but have gotten out of the exercise group and need to ramp back up:

I will think back to when I was active and recall what I enjoyed about it
I will think back to when I was active and try to recall which strategies worked and implement them again.
I will think back to when I was active and try to recall what obstacle or obstacles got in the way of continuing to be active. I will plan strategies to get around those specific obstacles.

STEP 5: Evaluate how well your strategies worked to accomplish your goal; revise if needed

Some goals need to be evaluated at the end of a day, and others at the end of a week or month.

For each time you accomplished your goal, ask yourself:

How did I do at keeping in mind the WHY for this activity?
What strategies did I use for cueing that were successful? What strategies did I use for eliminating or minimizing cues to do something other than the habit I’m trying to establish?
What strategies did I use to overcome any obstacles that threatened to get in the way? Is there anything I can do to make those strategies even more effective?
How much did I enjoy the new habit? Did I use strategies to increase my sense of reward ? Is there anything I can do to strengthen my internal sense of reward or to increase external reward?
How am I going to record (track) my progress?
Can I apply similar strategies to another health goal?

If you were not able to accomplish your goal, ask yourself:

Am I sure my goal was reasonable? Do I need to take a smaller step?
If my goal is reasonable, did I have my WHY at the front of my mind? If not, what can I do to keep myself tuned into why I want to achieve this goal?
Do I need a cueing strategy to achieve this goal? If I used cueing, was it effective in getting me to remember to do the activity? Did I discover a cue in the environment that was cueing me to do something other than my new habit? How can I minimize or eliminate that cue?
How much did I enjoy the new habit? Do I need to kick up the sense of reward?
If I remembered to do an activity, did an obstacle interfere with my goal? What strategies to get around that did I try? How could I revise those to make it more likely that I am successful tomorrow? (or next week)
Are there strategies that I have used to achieve another goal that I could possibly apply to this one?

Now, make the adjustments that seem best to you and start a new experiment. You will have some trial and error. Each time you try, whether your plan works or not, is a learning experience, moving you toward effective ways to reset and renew your health!