Sweatshirt // Top // Leggings // Shoes // Hat // Water Bottle
Happy Friday everyone! I’m so happy we’ve reached the end of the week – today is a BIG day for us and all graduating medical students! Today is “Match Day”, which is the day where you match with a residency program. After months of interviews you rank the programs in order, the programs rank applicants, and then a fancy computer program puts them together. Match Day is when you find out where you’ll be going for the next 3+ years!
So that has nothing to do with today’s post, but I just wanted to throw it out there! Today I’m sharing 5 SUPER easy tips to be more active everyday. You might not be able to use these tips everyday, but just using a few of them can help you be active!
Take The Stairs
When I was in college the apartment building I lived in had an elevator that needed to be replaced and would frequently break – with people in it. Since I didn’t want to deal with that I decided to take the stairs only – and I lived on the 9th floor! It was not fun when I had groceries, but taking the stairs wasn’t much slower than the ancient elevator! Just doing the stairs a few times a day was a straightforward way to stay active. My old office at work used to be on the second floor and I always took the stairs – another easy way to keep moving!
Park Further Away
I get frustrated dealing with aggressive drivers battling for parking spots, so now I park in the middle/back of parking lots and just walk. Half the time I pass people walking who are still waiting for a parking spot! This is especially useful in crowded parking lots – you can pull through and easily walk into the store. I don’t park at the absolute back of the lot, I usually just park at the end of where cars are parked. Just adding those few steps can make a difference everyday.
Go For a Walk at Night
I love walking at night – either after work or after dinner! Of course be smart about your neighborhood if you’re walking alone (I don’t walk outside after dark even with my husband), but with it being brighter later you can spend more time outside. Walking is a great after dinner to digest or just to decompress after your work day! The walks aren’t necessarily exercise walks, they’re usually strolls – but it’s good to be active.
Walk to Get Coffee
I have a Starbucks two blocks away so I have NO excuse not to walk there if I want coffee! I’m guessing that most of you guys have a coffee shop within a mile (if you don’t live in a rural place!). You can easily walk there, get a coffee, and walk back. Sure it delays the gratification a bit, but you’ll enjoy it that much more since you had to walk to get it!
Meet Friends to Walk
Another easy way to be active is meeting friends to walk and talk instead of just grabbing food or coffee! One of my favorite things to do is grab a coffee and then head to a park or lake and walk and talk. It’s easier to talk when you aren’t in a super busy coffee shop anyways!
Even if you just use a few of these a week it can keep you moving and active. I can tell when I’m lazy and sluggish, and just going for a walk makes it better. Hopefully the weather is getting warmer where you are and you can enjoy some time outside – happy weekend!
