Sitting too much drags down your mental health. Here’s how to get moving

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Add 5-minute stints of fun and easy exercise to your day at home by working with what’s around you, says trainer Molly MacDonald.

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Cha Pornea for NPR

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Look for opportunities to stand up, get your blood pumping or increase the activity by using your muscles. Start with squats, suggests physical trainer Molly MacDonald.

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Cha Pornea for NPR

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Does sweeping make you sweat? McDonald also advises her clients to do some chores during these breaks — anything that involves standing or walking.

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Cha Pornea for NPR

Does sweeping make you sweat? McDonald also advises her clients to do some chores during these breaks — anything that involves standing or walking.

Cha Pornea for NPR

Do chores that make you move

McDonald also advises her clients to do some chores during these breaks — anything that involves standing or walking. «I now jump at the chance to even just walk down the hall to take the trash [out],just so I can get out of my seat,» she says.

Personally, I have turned to my two favorite chores — emptying the dishwasher and washing dishes. And Mcdonald says that’s a good move.

«You’re standing washing your dishes [and it] is going to help your blood flow because you’re not sitting anymore,» says McDonald. «You’re using your legs, your muscles, [and] your muscles are asking for that blood flow to start up again.»

Multi-task

You can do these exercises even during phone calls or Zoom meetings, says McDonald, as long as you don’t have to be on camera. This is something I’ve tried to do for months now — I try to make sure that I’m either doing a quick exercise or at least moving around, or doing chores during meetings where I don’t have to be on camera.

And if you plan to do that, just make sure you mute yourself, McDonald adds. You probably don’t want your colleagues hearing you huff and puff through your workout. «Some people have learned [that] the hard way,» she says.

• exercise and mood