Get Fit Your Way, on Your Time

This Lark DPP Mission was all about finding ways to fit activity into your life so you can feel better, lose weight, and lower diabetes risk. The check-ins guided you through several ideas for making fitness personal to you so you can do it on your terms, and the recent check-in asked you to visualize how you might get in 150 minutes. These are a few long, medium, and short activity ideas for you to consider as you add those minutes up.

Long (22 or More Minutes)

These "long" activity sessions are typically dedicated exercise sessions or prolonged activity. We chose 22 minutes as the cut-off for "long" bouts because that is how many minutes you need to average per day to hit 150 minutes in a week. Typical "long" sessions may include:

• Hiking
• Weeding or other gardening
• Vacuuming or vigorous cleaning
• Gym workout
• Fitness class
• Bike riding
• Tennis match or basketball game
• Swimming
• Exercise DVD or video

Medium (5 to 21 Minutes)

It's okay if you do not have time for a "full-length" workout. You can get just as fit in shorter bouts. Do 2 to 3 "medium" sessions a day, and you can get to that 150-minute mark over the course of a week. You might consider any of the following:

• Getting off a stop earlier, and walking the rest, when you take public transportation.
• Using a pedal cycle under your desk for a few minutes in the morning and afternoon.
• Play with your children outdoors or in an active way indoors before or after dinner. (The activity can make them more efficient so they can do their homework, too).
• Adapt a yoga or pilates routine that you can do first thing in the morning to greet the day before anyone else realizes that you are awake.
• Do a 5 to 15-minute workout that hits all major muscles in a circuit with planks, crunches, jumping jacks, tricep dips, and wall squats.

Small (1 to 4 minutes)

Busy days sometimes appear to leave no extra time for activity, so it is a good thing that every minute counts! Aim to get up for at least 1 minute of activity each half-hour of the day, and you can hit your activity goals and lower diabetes risk. You might squeeze in a minute or a few by:

• Parking on the far side of the parking lot from the entrance.
• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
• Using the restroom on a different floor and taking the stairs to get there.
• Doing lunges, calf raises, or arm swings or using resistance bands or dumbbells each time you are on the phone.
• Doing a set of wall or regular push-ups, tricep push-ups, crunches, or squats before you walk to get water from the kitchen or drinking fountain.
• Arriving to pick up the children two minutes earlier and walking during that time.

You can add up your minutes however you want and get fit enough to hit those healthy goals. Lark is there to cheer each minute and keep tabs, so be sure to log it all!