Have you been remembering to get up to go for a walk every now and then? Since we talked about it last week, I’ve definitely done more walking than before, but not necessarily in the bite-sized, frequent stints I intended.
It’s just so dang hot out. Sometimes I manage a walk around the block, but more often I prefer to wait until about 8 p.m., when I head out for 30 minutes or so. I’ll listen to a podcast (most recently, the You’re Wrong About episode covering Koko the gorilla). One day my four-year-old daughter insisted on coming with me, and I knew she wouldn’t last the whole time, so I did a short walk with her instead of no walk at all. “Anything is better than nothing” has been my mantra when it comes to getting these walks in, and you know what? It helps.
So, keep up those daily walks if you like, but this week we’re adding something new to the routine. It is easy, it is slightly boring and it is a lot more challenging than something so simple deserves to be. I’m talking about that old gym class classic, arm circles.
Wherever you are right now, stand up and do some arm circles. Or do them from your chair if you must. Want a full-body challenge? Step up onto a chair (or any handy surface) and back down while you do them.
How did that feel? Are your shoulders burning? I made it through one minute of forward circles, as suggested in the video, but had to take a break before attempting the backwards ones. If you’d prefer to have a numerical goal, aim for 50 circles each way, or 20, or whatever number feels appropriate to give you a short, active break from chilling at your desk or on the couch.
