The CDC recommends that adults get 150 minutes per week of moderate physical activity. Are you meeting that recommendation?

The average person is not. It's more common than ever to lead a sedentary lifestyle, and—spoiler alert—that's not good for your overall health. Staying active will keep your heart, mind, and body healthy even as you get older. An active lifestyle will make you stronger and healthier, and who doesn't want that?

But how can you start?

We're here with a few quick active lifestyle tips that you can start implementing today. 

1. Walk or Bike to Your Destination Whenever Possible

Many people think that you have to be a fitness guru or exercise fanatic to get healthy and lead an active lifestyle. This couldn't be further from the truth. As a matter of fact, a lot of fit people get that way through non-exercise activity thermogenesis (otherwise known as NEAT).

So what is non-exercise activity thermogenesis anyway? If you haven’t heard of it before, you’re not alone. Basically, it's how many calories your body burns while going about its daily business. Everything you do burns calories because calories are just units of energy, and your body is always using energy—even when you're sitting still. 

So how does this apply to walking and biking? 

Walking and biking (at a normal pace) aren't too energy-intensive, and by adding them to your normal daily routine, you're increasing your NEAT without really feeling like you've worked out. Pretty cool, huh?

Once you make it a habit, your body will adapt. You'll get stronger and more efficient and you'll find that you have more energy for activities throughout the day. 

There are other ways to increase your NEAT, like taking the stairs, walking more quickly while grocery shopping, and standing while working, but walking and biking are super effective, and they'll get you on your way to that active lifetyle you want. 

2. Drink Enough Water

Are you drinking enough water throughout the day? Don’t feel bad if you aren’t—we’ve all been there! However, if you’re not drinking enough water, you'll find it far more difficult to lead (and maintain) a healthy and active lifestyle. Frequent physical activity requires adequate hydration.

When you drink water, you'll feel more energized and your body will be able to recover from exercise more effectively. Water is what keeps you moving.

Keeping a water bottle on hand (hint: like one of our fantastic water bottles) will help you stay on top of your hydration game. 

3. Start an Active Hobby

If the idea of exercising or even going for a walk makes you feel less than enthusiastic, you’re not alone. But there's another way to get yourself feeling more active: Find an active hobby that looks enjoyable.

Look for things that seem fun, not monotonous. Some people love lifting weights and going for jogs, but it's completely normal to find the idea of doing those things boring or painful. 

Lucky for you, there are plenty of active hobbies that you can get excited about. When you're having fun, you won't even realize how active you're getting.

Try hiking, rock climbing, aerial arts, roller skating, or one of the almost infinite other hobbies that will get you off your feet.

When you find an active hobby you love, you'll be gaining important fitness skills even though you're not traditionally "working out." You'll be stronger and more athletic before you know it, and that may encourage you to keep trying more unique physical activities (like trapeze classes or dragon boat racing) so you can continue your active lifestyle. 

4. Prepare Yourself With the Right Gear

Having the right gear for your active lifestyle can make you feel more motivated to actually participate. You'll feel more prepared and you'll want to actually put your new things to use.

So what do you need? 

It depends on your activity, but if we're sticking with the general "getting active" category, let's start with activewear. Comfy new athletic shirts, sports bras, joggers, leggings, and running shoes can all make you feel ready for a day of fun physical activities.

Having a quality water bottle that's perfect for sports can also help. Our FreeSip bottle, for example, makes a perfect sports and exercise water bottle due to its convenient spout and the fact it can keep your drinks cold all day long. Once you try it, it’s the only water bottle you’ll ever want (and yes, you will want to own at least five of them).

In addition to a water bottle, a fitness tracker can also help you stay motivated. When you can see yourself reaching goals, you'll want to keep going further! 

5. Get Active With Friends

Having friends who also want to get active with you can make a huge difference. It's so much easier to stay motivated in a group than it is to stay motivated alone! Friends also make great accountability partners.

Want to make sure it’s super successful? Make sure to tind an activity that some of your friends enjoy and group up. Make a commitment to doing that activity together regularly. You could also change up your activities every week (and that variety may make staying active more fun). 

What's better than getting healthy and active together with your friends? Not much. 

6. Set and Track Goals

Making the transition to a healthier and more active lifestyle starts with setting goals. A combination of short-term and long-term goals will keep you motivated.

We get it… goals can be hard. Anyone who’s made a New Year’s resolution—and probably gave up on it—understands. That’s why it’s so important to start with small goals. Maybe you want to walk for at least ten minutes per day or wake up and do morning yoga, even if it's only for a few minutes.

Maybe you want to commit to drinking two full Owala water bottles every day so you can stay hydrated and energized. Whatever your goal is, it shouldn’t feel like a big change in your daily schedule, otherwise you might struggle to make it a habit. 

Long-term goals are larger. They could be general health goals, like running a certain distance without stopping. You could be planning to run a 5k. Your goals may also change over time, and that's okay. Your goals don’t need to be concrete. 

Track your goals and see how much progress you make. Consider rewarding yourself for that progress so you can stay even more motivated.

It's Time to Start Your Active Lifestyle

Are you ready to start living an active lifestyle? Who doesn't want to be stronger and healthier? You'll feel better, and you'll be able to try so many fun, unique things.