Trainer Molly McDonald said that by working with the things around you, you can add five minutes of fun and relaxing exercise to your day at home. Cha Pornea of ​​NPR hide caption

Trainer Molly McDonald said that by working with the things around you, you can add five minutes of fun and relaxing exercise to your day at home.

Of all the ways the pandemic affects the well-being of Americans, perhaps the least we notice is how much we sit. This is not only harmful to our waist circumference-it can also harm our mental health.

More than one and a half years of social distancing and work-from-home policies have led to a reduction in the time spent walking, and an increase in the time spent sitting and watching the screen-a potentially toxic combination associated with poor mental health.

Jacob Meyer, director of the Health and Exercise Laboratory at Iowa State University, said: "We may not even notice the sneaky impact of the pandemic [yes] we changed our sitting posture."

His own research shows that in the first few weeks of a pandemic, people who exercise less and have more screen time may feel stressed, depressed, and lonely.

According to a follow-up study by Meyer, although most people see their mental health gradually improve as they adjust to the new reality, most sedentary people do not see the same improvement. "Those who have been sitting for a long time, their depression has not improved much," Meyer said.

The good news is that, as Meyer’s earlier research found, simple things, such as doing some very light exercises around the house to break all the couch surfing time, can change moods.

Many previous studies have confirmed that physical activity can boost mood, reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.

"We always know that the more active people are and the more they exercise, the better their mental health," Meyer said.

For many office workers like me, working from home means that we have fallen into the habit of spending hours at our desks. With another pandemic winter approaching, this country and most parts of the world are still dealing with COVID-19. We are often trapped at home instead of what we want, so it's time to start sitting less and walking more.

Meyer shared some introductory tips with other sports experts:

Meyer said, if you haven't exercised during the entire pandemic and are afraid of starting now, don't worry. From the little things.

"If I walk around in my office, all these steps will be important and it will be very helpful," he said.

Ohio State University sports psychologist Jennifer Carter (Jennifer Carter) said that people trying to start exercise often fall into the "all or nothing" idea.

"It's like I do zero or I do it for two hours. If I don't do it for two hours, it doesn't count, or it's not good enough," she said. But in fact, "five minutes is better than nothing."

In fact, compared to the benefits of people who already exercise regularly, “from inactivity at all to even a little activity will have some of the greatest effects on health,” Meyer said.

"I think part of making a good exercise plan for each of us is to fully understand ourselves and know what is feasible," Carter said. This includes knowing what is unrealistic for you.

So, if you hate running, don’t run just because it’s popular or someone tells you it’s good for you, Carter said. Or, if you are not a person who likes to get up early, don't plan to exercise in the morning.

Remember, she added, "Starting is the hardest part." If you are trying to start, don't blame yourself. It is important to have compassion for yourself. "One principle of self-compassion is this common humanity, and we all fight for it," she said.

Try to find ways to make you more likely to stick to your exercise program, perhaps by establishing some external accountability. She suggested to arrange with friends to call or text each other at the agreed time to encourage each other to walk or run. Carter used to do this with her friends in the morning, and she said, "This will allow us to move on and take responsibility."

Molly McDonald said that she was a certified personal trainer of Corporate Fitness Works since she started walking more, and I also trained with her.

"I have told many people that if you have space... in your house, walk from room to room and use your stairs," she said. "If you don't have stairs, you just need to walk around from room to room, and take a few more steps."

Meyer agreed that sitting less and walking more would make a big difference. "If you have a virtual meeting, use the beginning and end of the meeting as an opportunity for you to walk around the block or take out the trash, or somewhere nearby is where you like to go," he said. "You can go there and go back, just to get into the habit of changing your sitting posture."

Another method that many people use now is to make a “virtual commute,” he added, “At the beginning of the day, they will walk around their house or nearby so they can commute to work.” You can commute to work on weekdays. Walk again at the end.

Look for opportunities to stand up, let your blood circulate or increase activity by using your muscles. Start with squats, suggested by fitness coach Molly MacDonald. Cha Pornea of ​​NPR hide caption

Look for opportunities to stand up, let your blood circulate or increase activity by using your muscles. Start with squats, suggested by fitness coach Molly MacDonald.

MacDonald suggests that if you find it difficult to take a long time in the day to walk or do any other exercise, try to take a few minutes every hour to exercise.

"If you can spare 5 minutes every hour, the whole day will add up," she said.

She added that just add it to your calendar and set a five-minute timer. If you work eight hours a day, then a day adds up to 40 minutes.

"That's 40 minutes for you to do something, not for the 40 minutes you have to spare a day," she said. The health guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise every week. She added that those 40 minutes of daily activities will help increase weekly goals.

Meyer said that light exercise around the house is a good start, but “compared to every minute of low-intensity activity, every minute of high-intensity activity is associated with better health outcomes.” “So if you have Five minutes, the more you can do in those five minutes, the better."

MacDonald said that if you want to do more intense short-term exercises, start doing squats, lunges, push-ups and planks.

"It's really good to do a lot of self-weight exercises throughout the day, [and] help blood circulation."

If you have never done these exercises, she recommends starting with squats.

"This is a good place for everyone to start," she said. "Just put your back against the wall, bend your knees, and see how comfortable you feel."

As for how many squats or lunges we should aim for, she said, "There are no magic numbers." Adapt as much as you can in the time you have. "Maybe you really only have two minutes. Well, do what you can in two minutes."

MacDonald says you can try to use items around the house (such as a jar of beans or a bag of sugar) to add some weight to your mini-workout. But be careful not to grab anything that is too heavy until you feel your own strength.

If more intense effort feels intimidating, remember, "Even exercise at light intensity may give you the same mental health effects as high-intensity exercise," Meyer said. Especially if you feel frustrated in the first place and/or don't move around often. "It's better to do anything in those five minutes than to do nothing."

Will you sweat when you sweep the floor? MacDonald also advises her clients to do some housework during these breaks—anything that involves standing or walking. Cha Pornea of ​​NPR hide caption

Will you sweat when you sweep the floor? MacDonald also advises her clients to do some housework during these breaks—anything that involves standing or walking.

MacDonald also advises her clients to do some housework during these breaks—anything that involves standing or walking. "I'm taking this opportunity now, even just walking down the hall and [taking out] the trash so I can leave my seat," she said.

Personally, I have turned to two of my favorite housework-emptying the dishwasher and washing dishes. McDonald's said this is a good move.

"While washing the dishes while you stand [it] will help your blood flow because you are no longer sitting," McDonald said. "You are using your legs, your muscles, [and] your muscles are asking blood to start flowing again."

MacDonald said that even during a phone call or a Zoom meeting, you can do these exercises, as long as you don't have to be in front of the camera. This is something I have been trying to do for months-I try to make sure that I either do a quick workout or at least walk around or do housework during the meeting without having to be in front of the camera.

MacDonald added that if you plan to do this, make sure to mute yourself. You may not want your colleague to hear your gasp during exercise. "Some people have learned [that] the hard way," she said.

The title of the previous version of this story misspelled Molly McDonald’s last name as McDonald.