This is an update to an earlier post I wrote about micro walks, which I define as short-duration walks (I usually aim for 10 minutes) with the purpose of getting in a little exercise without aggravating my health conditions. So, you might want to read that post before you read this one. (This post would also make more sense if I had already completed and published my draft about purchasing a Fitbit, but, hey, no one’s perfect.)
As you are probably aware, Earth has been setting heat records. July 2023 was the hottest month ever recorded on Earth, and that includes South Florida, which definitely has been experiencing record-breaking heat. With overnight temperatures in the mid-to-upper 90’s, there is no time of day or night at which a walk is enjoyable (or even tolerable, depending on one’s health conditions). So I haven’t been walking. Not even micro walks.
But, as I alluded to in the first paragraph, I bought a Fitbit a couple of months ago. And *if* I ever get the post about that completed, you will read that I did it to monitor my heart, *not* because I’m jumping on a wellness bandwagon. In fact, I have been resentful of the device’s prompts to get in a minimum number of steps each hour, punching off the haptic alarm and growling at my device every hour. Until…
A friend of mine recommended a fitness influencer who discusses getting steps in indoors. And a lightbulb went off. Now, my house is small. I mean, really small by current standards. Definitely no room for a treadmill! But…my Fitbit has been nagging me to get a minimum of 250 steps per hour. And I suddenly thought: “What’s easier than a 10 minute micro walk outdoors, that requires me to put on outdoors clothes and shoes and walk in the oppressive heat? Walking around the inside of my house, as is, in the air conditioning.” So that’s what I’m doing.
Rather than getting annoyed that my fitness device is nagging me to interrupt what I am doing and get more steps, I decided to get up once an hour, when it prompts me, and get my required minimum steps – inside the house.
We’ve probably all seen the articles (or news reports) that “sitting is the new smoking,” meaning that a sedentary lifestyle is harmful to one’s health. I’ve been basically ignoring that conversation, giving myself a pass due to my health conditions. But the reality is that I still have enough health privilege that I *could* be less sedentary, especially since recent medication changes have lead to me feeling a bit better.
I want to be very clear that many in the chronically ill/disabled communities do not have that health privilege. I acknowledge that I *can* move more without harming myself, and that many of my friends and acquaintances in our communities cannot. I respect their conditions and support them in doing whatever they need to do (or not do).
For myself, this is an experiment to see how I fare when I take an hourly exercise break, focusing on completing a minimum of 250 steps per hour. I have seen no evidence to suggest that this would have the exact same effect as a 10 minute walk after meals (see previous micro walk post), but respected medical sources are unanimous that getting up and moving around hourly has health benefits (assuming one can safely do so). For example, this Yale Medicine article has useful information about the hazards of sitting and helpful tips for being a bit less sedentary. And this Harvard Health article explains that prolonged sedentary behavior can lead to insulin resistance and a decrease of the enzyme that breaks down fat in one’s bloodstream.
I see hourly movement as an easier way to get some exercise than trying to walk outdoors in this heat, and it breaks exercise into even smaller chunks than a 10 minute micro walk. So if you’re struggling with energy pacing, perhaps breaking walking up into even smaller chunks would be helpful. (And maybe don’t do it every hour – do it at whatever interval works for your condition.)
So, even though I continue to resist some of the health and wellness gimmicks such as 10,000 steps per day or competing with others online in performing fitness, I am currently hacking my health by complying with Fitbit’s hourly reminder to get up and move around a little bit. I’ll let you know how the experiment goes.
If you try it, please let us know how it worked (or didn’t work) for you.
