Summer isn’t for sitting

With the summer weather upon us, now is the perfect time to shake off that sedentary lifestyle and get outdoors, get active, and increase your level of physical activity.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally one in four adults (aged 18-64 years) is not active enough, meaning they aren’t getting the recommended 150 minutes of physical activity per week. So if you fall into that 25%, summer is the perfect time to incorporate outdoor activities including walking, cycling, or jogging, or summer sports such as tennis, softball, or volleyball into your routine.

A number of health risks increase for people with low or no levels of physical activity such as coronary artery disease, stroke, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, colon cancer, breast cancer, and osteoporosis. But merely reducing your sedentary time and adding in something as simple as walking has significant health benefits including reducing your risk for disease. Plus the added exercise will give you more energy and make you feel more alert.

Here are some simple ways to incorporate daily movement during the summer, regardless of your physical ability:

• Go for a walk, bike ride, or hike with family or friends

• Join a fitness class

• Take up a summer sport such as swimming or softball

• Do yard work, or mow the lawn with a push mower

• Take a canoe or kayak out on a local lake

• Get off public transit one stop early and walk the rest of the way

• Replace your coffee break with a brisk 10-minute walk or take a walk around the block on your lunch break

• Walk to the store and park as far away from the entrance as possible

• Start a walking group with friends

Whatever your physical ability allows for, there are a number of simple ways to reduce the amount of time you spend sitting and increase the amount of time you spend active. And with the warm weather upon us, now is the time to step it up – literally.