Never use your hands and arms to lower you into, or raise you out of, a sitting position.

Park as far as possible from your destination (taking safety in mind). Two added bonuses is there are usually plenty of spots, and getting out of the lot is easier.

If it is less than a fifteen minute walk to where you are going then walk instead of drive. You will get there faster than driving will get you there too.
Getting a bicycle is the next step. A friend who commutese by bike now started just by using her bike to go shopping for groceries 4 blocks away. (get a bike that isa bit upright to ride with a good basket.

Get in the habit of using a small packsack when you walk.
It is surprising how fast your ability to carry stuff increases and it is good for most of the body, not just the legs.

Take the stairs.

Carry a grocery bag or basket instead of using a cart.

Walk the dog everyday, good for you and the mutt. Of course you can get trapped into building the perfect dog walking EDC and then there's the dog's backpack, his cold weather overcoat and the booties for when people salt their sidewalks like they do their french fries, and the GPS for making maps of where you've been and the cool, glow in the dark leashes...

Can't figure out why my family starts lauhging when I announce that I'm taking the doog for a walk.

Before getting up from a sitting position, make it a habit to raise your feet off the ground one inch and hold them there for ten seconds, increasing the time as your fitness indicates.

I'm told ankle weights turn a walk into the equivalent of a run.
The Sock

Bike commuting rocks! You have to get to work, you need regular exercise, so riding the bicycle is productive multitasking. A key consideration is having facilities at work place to store the bike and clean up, but this can be arranged with a little ingenuity.

I have been a regular bike commuter since 1970, riding from 22 to 10 miles round trip.

I guess it's not really a "habit" in the sense of walking more or taking the stairs... but, for a while now, I have been doing a stretching routine, and 40 each of push-ups and sit-ups every morning.
Really helps me "limber up" and get a good start on the day.

When grocery shopping avoid the carts. Carry two reusable shopping bags instead. You buy less and work more. And don't shop while hungry.

After rolling out of bed, start the day with fifty to one hundred jumping jacks. Gets the blood moving and kick starts the metabolism.

Don't eat anything within four hours of when you go to bed.

Eat a piece of bread with olive oil forty-five minutes before meal time. It will dull your appetite so you eat less and still feel full.




Stretching is good. Flexibility lowers the odds of injury.

Whenever it comes to mind, if you are standing, stand on one leg with the other raised a fraction of an inch off the ground.

Take a moment to inspect something just managably heavy at the store. Hold it at arms length and very slowly bring it toward you as if you are having trouble focusing on the fine print on the packaging. Raise it up and slowly turn it as if you are trying to see it in just the right light. Heft it in one hand and then the other.

Stop when your arms begin to tremble and put it back. Do it in various aisles or departments as the opportunity presents itself.

Work your way up the sizes. After you are doing watermelons, tires, and cases of water one-handed, move on to a different exercise regime.

Squat down with your back straight and head high to select items from the bottom shelf of a store. Straighten up without using your hands to get support or balance. Repeat to put the item back.

Unless you are working with a highly skilled trainer, stay away from ankle weights, unless you want to risk a really seriuos injury!

"Tightrope" walk on low retaining walls, parking lot edge strips, etcetera.

Yep. AND, the lazy people tend to park as close to the storefront as possible - and these are the same people who are more likely to ding the side of your vehicle when they open their car doors.

In my mid 50s I'm now the slimmest I've been since a teenager. Not all good: I can't keep anything in a back trouser pocket as there's no padding to cushion it if I sit on something hard and I cracked a rib because there's no protective padding there either.
All I did was give up oily food. After a while you don't have a choice; you can't eat greasy food. I'd starve to death locked in a McDonalds.
A grip strengthener can be used when walking or driving.
The Sock

off topic.

gym = a different thread

Rock on the balls of your feet, keeps your balance better and helps keep my calves in good shape.

Fidgeting burns calories if you're stuck at a desk.

those stress balls are good and so is sugar free gum burning calories and keeping you from getting drowsy.

toss in a few set of 20 rep pushups a day.

Stretching is also underrated, limber muscles are less likely to get damaged, if those big ol' NFL line backers can touch their toes, so can you.

I chewed gum for years in shool, now 20 years later I can't chew it anyore because it makes my gums hurt, it seems to do some long term damage.
Also most sugar free gum has some sort of sugar substitute which may not be very good long term (gives me a headache).

If I could find natural gum, I'd chew it non stop maybe toss in some sin-sin for flavor.

If there are any sweetgum trees around you tap them this spring and boil down or allow the sap to dry to a rubbery consistency, then chew it. It won't taste like much but it'll give your mouth something to do while the wife is away.

-Blast

Take several times a day to throw something inanimate and harmless at something else inanimate and unbreakable.

Rules rules rules....

Everyone should take heed come the 2012 Armageddon Apocalypse (wrong thread possibly)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-...g-campaign.html

Carry water. (I use an aluminum bottle/canteen that has a neoprene outer cover)

Extra weight, healthier, cheaper, less waste in landfill. Seriously cuts down on the soda I drink, and has the added bonus that it increases the amount of water I take in. (Most people (myself included) do not drink enough water) Water does not have calories/fat/sugar or other additives. Plus I don't have to shell out $1.50 for a bottle (I would buy soda instead) And having clean potable water on hand is great for EDC.

And I get to carry an extra clip and button compass, just because they look cool on it!

Still working on how I can add EDC items to it, the neoprene is not sturdy enough to sew stuff on it.

I'm working on this one myself: a walk at lunchtime or hike in the woods after work with DS.

EDIT to add: increase water and fiber intake as well.