Healthy Hoboken: Moving Day

I usually think of moving day as a huge headache. This year, though, I approached it with a new attitude. I'm considering it the best workout I'll get all summer. Malenna Saunders of Phoenyx Fitness says I'm onto something, as moving is great for three reasons: cardio, strength and variety.

Last week, I moved from a fourth-floor walk-up to a third-floor walk-up, then helped my sister do the same two days later. While my legs were aching, my arms started hating me even more.

I didn't keep track of time on Thursday, but I know that on Saturday we made consistent trips for an hour and a half in the morning, taking turns loading the car and carrying boxes, another hour at the new place, and then two more hours later in the day.

Saunders isn't surprised to hear I was so exhausted by the time we were finishing up.

"Just like the stairmaster, this can get your heart rate up rather quickly and keep it there," she says.

Once your heart rate is up, the process helps build strength.

"Depending on how much you're moving," she adds, "it can also be a great upper body workout and good for your core, because you have to maintain proper balance moving up and down stairs."

Moving with a partner means working different muscles with each object you carry.

"This may sound funny, but you could change who is leading to change up what you work. If you are leading and going up the stairs going backwards, you are working more of your hamstrings. If you are at the read of the object and going up the stairs, you are working more of the quads." Varying positions while walking down the stairs will also change the muscle groups that are working.

Karen Esrick, a fitness instructor at New York Sports Club, agrees that moving day is a solid workout.

"Wow, two moves in one week. That's a great workout. I can attest to that first hand, as I'm doing exactly the same thing right now!" says Esrick. "But it's for exactly experiences like this that it's so important to workout and remain physically active on a daily basis."

Esrick adds that being fit makes moving day less stressful.

"The stronger you are and the more stability you have the more you'll be able to do and achieve when it comes to functional movements in your day to day life."

Esrick even incorporates typical moving-day activities into workouts when she is training clients. One of her trademark moves is called "Put in on the Shelf."

"It's a great core exercise, one I'm sure you did a lot of in your more," she says. "Standing with knees slightly bent, reach down and pretend like you're grabbing something from the floor with both hands, then reach up to the opposite side of your body and pretend like you're placing something on the shelf."

She recommends starting with a lighter weight and gradually increasing.

In other words, when it's the real deal, start with a box full of hand towels and gradually increase to lifting your mattress.

Saunders also offers several safety precautions to follow:

"Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. I think it could be very easy to get dehydrated and not realize it beause you may not necessarily be working up a sweat, but it's a significant amount of work."

Trust me, I worked up plenty of sweat by moving on a 90-degree day.

She also says to be mindful of how you are lifting and carrying objects. "Lift from you legs, not your back," she says.

It would've been nice to have spoken with both of them before I started my move – maybe then my back wouldn't be killing me.