Top Ten Ways to Incorporate Exercise into your Day. Not exercising is worse for your health than smoking, reports a new study. Here are our best tricks for sneaking in more activity during the day without changing your routine.
1. Schedule physical activity into your calendar like you would any other appointment
2. Exercise first thing in the morning so you get it done
3. Park your car farther away from the shopping center. Like most people, you may have a habit of parking as close as possible to the entrance. If you don’t have any physical limitations that make walking difficult, park further away. And if you take public transportation to work, school, or anywhere you’re going, get off one stop further from your stop.
4. Take a “walk break” whenever you can find the time during the day. Taking short 10 minute walks a few times a day will do wonders for your metabolism!
5. Play with your pets! A great activity for everyone.
6. Choose the stairs over the elevator. When you have the option to take the stairs in the subway, at work or at home – take the stairs. Just think of those extra calories you’re burning.
7. Replace your office chair with an exercise ball that makes you move more and stand up to take phone calls. Have your dumbbells handy! Squeeze in bicep curls, tricep extensions and shoulder presses during the call.
8. Buy a jump rope or mini trampoline and have “mini workouts” throughout the day
9. Go for a walk after dinner
10. When vacuuming try to use your arm, back and abdominal muscles to push the vacuum.
I hope these Top Ten Ways to Incorporate Exercise into your Day have been useful. More and more research is showing there is substantial benefit to adding short bouts of exercise during your day—and without even stepping foot in a gym!
Every minute of intentional movement counts. Find satisfaction in knowing that your efforts of using the stairs instead of the elevator and choosing the furthest parking spot from the door are not wasted!
