In today’s busy world, exercise is often seen as a secondary activity. People will prioritise their work and social lives over being physically active as we tend to make our decisions based on convenience. This attitude is slowly changing, as people begin to recognise the benefits of even small amounts of regular exercise, and allocating time to do a quick work out. If you undertake professional personal training courses you will learn that regularly going to the gym and having a personal trainer to help you reach your fitness goals is the most efficient way to see results, but for those of us who just want to integrate exercise into our lives, there are things you can do that shouldn’t cost you money or too much time to do. So let’s get into it, here are eleven easy ways to increase your physical activity!
1. Walk it off
It might seem obvious, but walking is in fact a great way to get fit. If you don’t find walking easy to commit to, make it a habit. Take a friend out with you and walk together. Mix it up by jogging in between power walking. 30-45 minutes of brisk walking is often enough exercise for one day.
2. Combine house chores with exercise
It may not sound exactly like fun, but a lot of the work around the house requires at least some physical movement, whether that’s scrubbing, pulling weeds or vacuuming.
3. Exercise while sitting
If you tend to be a bit of a couch potato on the weekends, consider doing stretches or star jumps between commercials. Sit ups, leg lifts and squats are also good.
4. Take the stairs
Climbing up stairs really is a good workout but try to take two steps in one stride instead of one, it will give your legs something to do and your heart will get a workout too.
5. Go shopping
Shopping requires a lot of leg work, so it’s a pretty good way to get fit, and hopefully also get some shopping done.
6. Take a tour of your local city
You can site-see and get a work out in one day.
7. Walk as often as you can
Most of us are guilty of opting for the car way too frequently, even when we could walk the distance. Park far from your destination, walk don’t drive to the shops.
8. Move away from distractions
One of the main reasons people evade the thought of exercise is by distracting themselves, either by spending too much time on the internet or watching TV when they could be outside. You do need downtime sometimes, but it’s good to trial a ‘break period’. Disconnect your internet, unplug your TV and rid yourself of distractions.
9. Get a pet
OK, so getting a pet and looking after it is far from easy – but, if your neighbours need a pet sitter while they’re on a break consider the opportunity to help them out. Young animals can be full of energy (especially dogs) and having a pet is a great excuse to go outside for a run.
10. Get a pedometer
Recording your progress is a proven method of motivation for people who are just starting out. When you have written proof of how much work you’ve done, it encourages you to keep at it.
11. Work out at your desk
If you’re at your desk all day with very little time to move around except on your lunch breaks, stretch your legs out for as long as possible. Regularly stretching (say once every two hours) will help you avoid muscle aches and pains throughout the day.
Extra tip
If you’re really finding it difficult to fit exercise in to your life, one good tip is to write up a few exercises onto post-it notes and stick them on items around the house, like the wardrobe or bathroom cabinet. Before you use an item, perform the exercise written on the post-it note. It could take six star jumps to open the fridge, or ten crunches before using the shower.
