I'm A Functional MD & Here's How I Incorporate Movement Into My Day

Folding an at-home workout into a busy workday can be challenging, to say the least. It's so easy to remain glued to your desk all day, and, whoops, it's already 7 p.m. (No? Just me?). Good news: Functional medicine physician Frank Lipman, M.D., author of The New Rules of Aging Well, has a few tricks up his sleeve. The key to a stellar WFH workout, he notes on the mindbodygreen podcast, is adding loads of movement into the workday itself. 

Here, Lipman shares three ways to get moving:  

"Move your body as much as possible," says Lipman. That's not to say you must have multiple setups at home (although, that's definitely a plus)—simply change your seating position as the day goes on. "Do some calls walking around, some sitting," he notes. "There's so much you can do at home to move your body." 

On a similar note, Lipman suggests adding micro-movements to your routine. In fact, he deems the mighty micro-movement "a new type of gym." Try doing squat pulses during your calls, or five minutes of yoga every hour. A little bit often is more than enough, says Lipman. 

"We think we have to do all these sophisticated movements, but basic movement is probably more important than an hour at the gym anyway," says Lipman. What he means is, strengthen the muscles you may no longer use on the daily—think squats, kettlebells, and the like. "We forget about these muscles we're not using on a day-to-day basis," Lipman notes, so perhaps focus on getting that strength back rather than the complicated, intricate routines you might have loved at the gym. Said routines do, of course, have their time and place, but it's a whole lot easier to fold in a basic squat as you WFH, no?

Adding exercise to your everyday doesn't have to be too taxing. Sure, there are at-home workouts aplenty, but if you're looking to enhance your movement, use Lipman's tips to supplement your routine as you WFH. Bonus: According to the functional medicine doc, constant movement is great for longevity, too.