Tips for those who don't like sport from health expert Prof. Nürnberg
Sweating for hours in the gym to do something for your fitness? That doesn't have to be the case. "There are lots of little tricks in everyday life that make us more active," says Volker Nürnberg, Professor of Occupational Health Management.
How can I move creatively and actively through my everyday life without having to be a fitness freak?
Prof. Dr. Nürnberg: There are lots of little tricks that make us more active in everyday life. For example, when we go into the office in the morning, we should avoid the elevator and take the stairs. When making the bed, we can simply incorporate a little strength training for the upper muscles by shaking the sheets vigorously a few times. The secret is to make only small adjustments to your daily routine. The important thing is that we consciously perform the movements and realize that we are doing something for our own fitness.
But if I've never wanted to do sport and exercise before, how am I supposed to get started now?
To make it easier to get started, everyone should look for a sport that is fun. Just don't spend hours on the weight bench or in a spinning class just to prove something to yourself. Ideally, you should have a sports friend and motivate each other to train. And if you do sport on your own, you can be spurred on by music.
However, it always makes sense to start small. If you take on too much at the beginning and overexert yourself, you will quickly lose interest in exercise. It can help some people to draw up a plan and use it to pursue a goal. But stay realistic! Less is more and motivation should not fall by the wayside. It is also important to reward yourself for your successes from time to time.
Apart from fitness, what other benefits does exercise have?
Quite a lot. Regular exercise prevents obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes and other illnesses and can minimize risk factors. It also strengthens the musculoskeletal system, especially the spine, by building up muscles. This can not only prevent osteoporosis, but is particularly important for office work. Exercise also releases the creativity hormone ACTH, which improves concentration and mental performance and releases happiness hormones.
Exercise is not only valuable for the body, but also for our soul. After a hard day's work, a walk can reduce stress hormones and help us to relax. And taking part in team sports or sports groups, for example, supports social contact and can protect against depression.
How can I tell that I am getting enough exercise in my everyday life?
You can easily check this yourself in everyday life by asking yourself: Do I take the stairs up to my apartment or do I opt for the comfortable elevator? Am I prepared to leave the car behind for short distances and get on my bike instead? If you answer "yes" to these questions, you are on the right track.
And if you want to know exactly how many steps you are taking and thus increase your motivation, you can have your steps counted by fitness watches. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends walking 10,000 steps a day. That's a distance of around six kilometers. But here too, my advice is to aim for half that and start small. The most important thing is that it's fun.
7 tips from Prof. Dr. Nürnberg: How do I actively move through my day?
- MOVE CONSCIOUSLY : We should consciously carry out our everyday movements whenever possible. A pedometer is a helpful gadget to get an idea of how active you are in everyday life. It can also be used to set and track individual exercise goals.
- ON THE WAY TO WORK : Whenever possible, you should walk your daily routes. Even if you have to drive to work, you can park your car a little further away so that you can walk a few hundred meters. For routes that are too long on foot, cycling is a healthy alternative.
- DURING WORK: As we spend a lot of our time at work, we should always make sure we get enough exercise there too. Small exercise rituals in the office can help with this. We shouldn't eat our lunch at our desk, but should always combine it with a short walk and phone calls can also be made standing up instead of sitting down.
- AT LEISURE: When we meet friends in our free time, there's nothing to stop us from meeting up outdoors instead of in a bar or restaurant when the weather is good.
- A PARTY EVENING IN FRONT OF THE TV: As we Germans also spend a lot of time in front of the TV, we should also remember that you can also watch the TV while standing and moving around.
- WALKING TO BED: In addition, small movement exercises before going to bed and after getting up are useful rituals that we can follow.
In general, you should seize opportunities for additional movement whenever they present themselves.
Prof. Dr. Volker Nürnberg has been a business administration professor for occupational health management (OHM) at several universities since 2011. He is also a partner and head of the healthcare management department at BDO AG.
