You don’t have to spend hours in the gym to improve your health. These expert-backed habits can help you boost your energy, support your fitness and move more without it feeling like a chore
WORDS: Josh Ivory | IMAGES: Shutterstock
You don’t need to spend hours in the gym to improve your fitness. In fact, small bursts of movement can net big results for your metabolism, energy levels, mood and long-term health. Experts call this activity NEPA – non-exercise physical activity – and it simply means moving more.
The sweet spot? The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines report recommends breaking up long periods of sitting time with activity for just one-to-two minutes. It doesn’t have to be stressful or complicated, and it’s not a replacement for your normal exercise routine – it’s simply tweaks to your daily schedule that lead to a considerable increase in movement. Whether it’s a walk to work or a cycle to the shop, here are 15 ways to move more every day.
AT WORK
Stand-up desks: Invest in a stand-up desk. Not only is this better for posture but it will also allow you to move more whilst performing admin tasks.
Active commute: Ditch the car where possible and walk or cycle instead. This may mean an earlier wake-up time but your body will appreciate the extra stimulation. Even if it’s not for work, anything within a mile radius could (and should) be travelled to on foot. Driving to work your only choice? Then park further away from the office so that you can take those important steps from car to desk.
Take the stairs: Have to use the lift to get to your office? Get out two or three levels lower and take the stairs for the remainder of the distance.
Use technology: Set movement reminders on your phone or watch. A day can quickly become cluttered with tasks, but your movement is still important. Setting reminders is a great way to stay on top of your movement goals. Don’t miss out on doing the tasks that will improve your wellbeing, too.
Gym work: Need to catch up on emails? Take an iPad or your phone with you to the gym and get them done while sitting on a bike. Even at a low intensity, you can burn a considerable amount of calories over an extended period of time.
AT HOME
Wake up to movement: Introduce a daily stretching routine to your schedule. Although this won’t work up a sweat, it will improve your mobility for a more effective workout later on – and certain moves can even challenge your core.
Start gardening: Focus on completing weekly gardening tasks. Gardening burns around 300 calories per hour, making it a great moderate-intensity exercise option.
Sneak in activity: Work out whilst watching TV. Have a bit of cardio equipment you can drag into the living room? Great! If not, there are tonnes of simple bodyweight workouts you can find online that will do the job. Don’t feel like working out whilst watching your programmes? Try adding a round of planks during the ad breaks.
Cook and move: Get creative with your time. Why stand still and wait eight minutes for your pasta to boil when you can do four one-minute bodyweight squats with a minute of rest in-between each set?
Skip with the kids: Not only is skipping a great activity the whole family can do but, when you jump repeatedly, your body burns 800-1,000 calories an hour (compared to 200-300 calories burned per hour while walking).
FITNESS BOOSTS
Jump to it: Focus on incorporating more plyometric (jumping) movements to your daily routine – you could even squat jump while the kettle boils! Plyometric exercises are more anaerobic than non-jumping cardio moves, and great for upping fitness.
Try something new: Learn a new skill such as gymnastics or kickboxing. Adding an element of skill acquisition is a great way to shift your focus away from how difficult the movement actually is, making it more fun and increasing the likelihood of continuing.
Related: Fun ways to get fit
Go for goal: Set a daily ‘push-up, squat and crunch’ goal. There’s no equipment needed and it’s a great way to kickstart your day with some basic movement patterns. I recommend doing this after your morning stretches, increasing the rep count from week to week (20 reps for week 1, 30 reps for week two, 40 reps for week three etc)
Buddy up: Exercise with a friend, whether at the gym or on a lunchtime walk around the park. Knowing someone is expecting you means you’ll be more likely to turn up, plus it also introduces a competitive element that could push you harder.
Make it work: Divide your time efficiently. If you struggle to find a spare 45 minutes to work out, split your workout into three 15-minute blocks.
You see, moving more doesn’t have to be stressful! Small bursts of movement really do add up – and your body will thank you for every extra bit of activity.
