Exercise isn’t an all or nothing situation. Although you may not always be able to fit in a gym visit or run into your day, you can easily up your physical activity levels by incorporating these simple tips into your daily routine.
- Break the habit of parking as close as possible to your destination. Consistently adding a short walk whenever you drive somewhere can add lots of healthy steps to your day.
- Take the stairs. Never take the elevator or escalator whenever possible. Stairs are a great way to get a burst of cardio, and stepping strengthens gluts and legs.
- Sit on an exercise ball. Swap an exercise ball for your desk chair. Sitting on an exercise ball helps to improve posture, balance, and core strength. Roll your hips on the ball every 30 minutes or so to improve circulation and ease back strain.
- Stand up often and consider a standing desk or treadmill desk. Standing burns more calories than sitting, and you’ll supercharge your energy output by using a treadmill desk.
- Skip a seated lunch and add a walk. The benefits of fitting in a bout of exercise mid-day are many and include burning calories, improving mood, and boosting energy.
- Stretch at your desk. Set the alarm for every 30 minutes as a reminder to do some stretches. You can do many stretches in your chair, twisting to each side, or dropping down in front to stretch your back.
- Work out around the house. Make everyday tasks double as an exercise by upping your pace as you move around the house and doing several stairs sets (up and down) whenever using your stairs. Think about how you can create a habit of exercising throughout your day, such as having a hand weight in your bathroom so you can do one-handed lifts while you brush your teeth, or squats while you’re waiting for your coffee to brew.
- Use technology. Set up an alarm on your phone to let you know it’s time to get up and move for a few minutes. It helps to keep the phone far enough away that you have to get up to turn off the alarm. Also, if you’re a tech person, consider getting a fit bit or other fitness tracker to help motivate you to exercise more consistently.
- Use TV time to move. Instead of settling on the couch to watch your favorite program, set up a mini workout area in front of your TV, with a resistance band, hand weights and a jump rope or step for some cardio.
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