9 Tips for Fitting More Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

Stretching

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9 Tips for Fitting More Exercise Into Your Daily Routine

Physical activity is important for our health, but sometimes fitting more exercise into your day is easier said than done.

The World Health Organisation recommends that all healthy adults between the ages of 18 and 64 should be finding time for at least 150 minutes of ‘moderate to intense aerobic physical activity’ every week.1 Two and a half hours of exercise a week sounds quite a lot, but it’s less so if we look at it as 20 to 25 minutes a day instead.

Hectic modern lifestyles can leave people feeling as though they’re working at capacity, with very little time to exercise more. Physical activity isn’t necessarily something which requires time set aside for it though, it’s possible to incorporate calorie burning into everyday life.

We can all fit more exercise into our days, we just need to look out for opportunities in which to do so. Let’s explore some of the possibilities and see how we can all Fit more exercise into day! exercise more around our daily routines.

Plank

Wake up a little earlier and make the most of the time

Sleep is not only important to overall health but has been shown to help with weight loss2. So it’s vital you get as much as you need. But 10 or 15 minutes clipped off your morning snoozing can make a positive impact if it’s used well.

Some light stretches, sit-ups or push-ups are enough. You don’t need to be doing anything too strenuous. Morning exercise can be a revelation alongside giving you time to fit more exercise into your day. It’s been shown to boost energy and improve focus and mood throughout the entire day.3

Clock

Switch up the commute

Provided your trip to work isn’t too far, part or even all of the journey can be swapped out for something a little more active. Cycling or walking instead of driving or catching the train or bus can be a very easy way to introduce more exercise into your weekdays.

Just 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is enough to positively impact fitness and assist in achieving weight loss goals.4

Cycling

Get off the bus just that one stop earlier

Is the daily commute a little too far to walk? Short, swift walks can still be factored into your journeys to and from work (or anywhere, really). Just get creative with your logistics.

Even just jumping off the bus one stop before your usual destination and walking the final portion of the trip can help.

Walking

Start using a standing desk

Not all calorie burning involves breaking a sweat. Swapping sitting at a desk for an altogether more upright position has been shown to burn calories.

A study published in 2014 concluded that an afternoon spent working at a standing desk instead of a regular desk can burn up to 170 additional calories. Keep slightly active and on your feet each afternoon and that’s 850 extra calories burned while working in a single week.5

 

Standing Desk

Get active on lunch breaks

Exercising more in daily life is all about looking for windows of opportunity. Lunch breaks are the perfect chance to get out and get active.

What you can actually achieve will depend on the length of your break and where you work, but even the shortest of breaks can be spent walking. If you can pull yourself away from your work for a little longer, you may even be able to get to your local gym for a class or quick solo session.

Don’t worry if escaping isn’t an option. There are plenty of small exercises you can do at your desk.

One thing that’s vital to bear in mind: it’s important not to sacrifice eating lunch for your walk or quick gym session. Regular lunches eaten at the same time have been shown to help with losing weight.6

Lunch Workout

Try ‘deskercise’

You may not have thought about it before but exercising at your desk can be a useful way to burn calories throughout the day.

Being still isn’t a prerequisite for sitting (or standing) at a desk. It may not be practical to jog on the spot or do star jumps while working, but you can tense your abs and help tighten your core. Then when you have free hands, perhaps during a phone call, you can use small hand weights or do some overhead extensions.

Even just the odd five or ten minute blast of ‘deskercise’ is enough to contribute towards reducing your appetite and helping with your weight loss goals.7

Deskercise

Walk a dog

Taking the dog for a walk is a great way to factor in more exercise. This is especially helpful as it can be built into your daily routine and there’s less chance you’ll skip a day. Try switching your routes up and going for longer strolls if you have the time.

Dog Walk

Make meet-ups more active

If you don’t have a dog, you can still inject more walks into your life. Whether they’re work-based or social, meet-ups don’t need to be stationary affairs. Think about cancelling that meeting room booking and take your next meeting on foot. Even if it’s just round the local park.

The same thing applies to meeting friends. Lots of people are looking to squeeze more exercise into their lives. Your friends might be just as happy to take a trek around the park instead of catching up with you in a coffee shop.

Active Meetings

Remember – something is better than nothing

The overarching theme to most of these tips is that exercise doesn’t need to be seen as some concentrated and arduous standalone task.

Approaching your fitness as something that can be tackled in small, manageable assignments takes the labour out of it and makes exercise an incorporated part of your life. Seeing how you can fit it in can even be a fun little challenge.

In fact, there’s plenty of research which suggests that shorter, broken-down spells of exercise may well be more beneficial than longer, more sustained periods.8

Exercise doesn’t have to be a big event that takes planning and a large chunk of the day. Follow just a few of these tips and you’ll find it can quite easily be integrated into your everyday life.

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