Easy ways to integrate healthy living into your daily routine

“In the most general sense, get out and about,” John C. Spence said, a professor in the faculty of kinesiology, sport, and recreation at the University of Alberta. 

He emphasized that it is “important for us to be expending energy on a daily basis.” However, he further explained that it is “even better for us if we are accomplishing things or feeling satisfied about what we are doing” while we expend energy.

At the same time, we may be “enjoying the mental health benefits of feeling satisfied about what we’re doing, and often that can be in a social context,” he added.

Spence provided some examples of how to incorporate this kind of activity into daily life, including “walking from place to place with friends, going to the market, [or] taking the train or bus and then walking [to your destination].”

You can also attend drop-in fitness classes or take advantage of free ice skating rinks.

Essentially, they pointed out that we need to “get away from the somewhat stereotypical idea that the only way we can engage in physical activity that’s beneficial for us is by engaging in structured, planned exercise.”

In terms of specific exercises, Spence highlighted that “balance and strength are critically important throughout our lifetime,” especially as we age. “Therefore, it’s not something to only focus on when we get older.”

These skills are vital in order to “avoid falls, be able to engage in activities of daily living, and look after ourselves.”

They explained that “strength-based activities contribute to muscle mass and lean body mass, which are very important for battling things like type two diabetes” and other chronic diseases.

Coupling physical activity and community connection

Physical activity can be a great way to foster community connection, according to Spence. He pointed out that planning to work out at a specific facility, driving there, and driving home does not provide many opportunities for spontaneous social interactions.

On the other hand, if we are having to go down the street for a walk, we may bump into neighbours and other people may see us out, which can “contribute to a sense that [your] neighbourhood is safe to walk around in.”

This “community mindedness” is useful for fostering “social connectedness,” according to Spence, which is becoming increasingly important for our “collective mental health.” 

“Another way to facilitate motivation is planning to do activities with others,” Spence suggested. “Making it more of a social activity, and trying to figure out how you can add in 500 to 1,000 steps throughout the day by doing activities you already need to do, like going to the grocery store.”

Overall, Spence focused on diversifying activity and not focusing solely on structured exercise plans.

The importance of setting reasonable and well-intentioned activity goals

Studies show accumulating evidence “that the volume of steps is potentially more important than intensity,” they shared.

He said intensity should not be dismissed, but on a population level they would aim for “increasing step counts by 500 [per] day.”

Tracking activity using devices is accessible for most people, and can be helpful for setting reasonable goals, they acknowledged. However, Spence highlighted the importance of setting these goals from a healthy perspective, instead of trying to “lose weight or look better.”

“If you’re doing something that’s building muscle, you’re not going to lose weight. You might be shifting the weight from fat to lean body mass, which is really good. But it might not show up on the scale,” which can be demotivating, Spence said.

Therefore, having reasonable goals that stem from a desire to be more active, instead of focusing on “appearance and body weight,” is his recommendation.

They added that the university could support students in integrating more healthy movement into campus life by focusing on “personal safety.”

He acknowledged that “we live in a country that’s actually quite safe,” but there are still things to be aware of.

Safety walking at night, adequate lighting of walkways, and maintaining the Safewalk program are all ways Spence identified the university being able to support safety and movement in student life.