Need to hit the gym? Finding ways of being more active during long days of meetings, errands and endless fatigue doesn’t have to feel like an added task.

You want to be your best active self, but life is just not letting you do that with all the lemons being thrown at you. Having an exercise routine is vital, but there are other ways to move more, naturally, and still get the benefits that a light workout would provide. You can literally run to the grocery store and still count this activity as your leg-day workout.

Step on Steps

You’ve heard the advice of ‘take the stairs’ many times. It’s become boring, redundant, but it’s one of the best tips for increasing heart rate, balance, and lower-body strength. If you have to head out to the mall for some errands, skip the elevator and take the stairs, two at a time, for some extra calorie burning. Taking the stairs will give your body that much-needed movement to get the blood pumping. If you you are behind a desk all day, you can do some heel raises.

Have a Moving Meeting

If you’re working from home, you can do a virtual meeting or call while moving. If you don’t need to be sitting and looking at a presentation or spreadsheet, plug in your headphones and carry your phone with you while you move around. If you need to do a quick check-in with a colleague at the office, do a walk-and-talk to get your brain juices flowing.

Change of Seating

You may have also heard of this one before, but if you’ve only been using your exercise ball for workouts, now’s the time to whip it out for everyday use. Using a stability ball as an office chair helps with posture, back pain and allows you to do some moving around while you’re sitting. You can even work your core, glutes and hamstrings, all while type-type-typing away.

Take Out the Trash

Doing active chores such as sweeping, folding the laundry, cleaning up after meals or unloading the dishwasher are great ways to get moving (and keep the place clean). You could do simple exercises such as bicep curls, lunges, squats and leg lifts while you are vacuuming, doing dishes, or taking out the trash. Getting down on the floor and scrubbing rather than mopping, and doing some simple arm circles while cleaning windows, shower doors or counter tops will give you more of a workout.

Go the Distance

This one comes with more safety precautions: If you’re in a safe, well-lit area then consider parking your car further from the entrance of whatever place you’re going to, get off the bus/taxi earlier, or take a little walk around your office building before going in. Similarly to taking the stairs, this will help you get your steps in for the day – and we all know what a good old walk can do for boosting our mood.

Dance like Nobody’s Watching

Not all of us were blessed with groovy genes, but even doing those headless-chicken dances will greatly improve your health. Take a break between tasks, blast your favourite song, and dance as wildly and uncoordinated as you’d like. If you want to add a bit of a challenge, there are lots of quick dance routines to some pop songs to learn online too. You can get a jiggle in before work, during lunch or before supper.

Go Natural

In many parts of the world, physique is built through natural movements like running, balancing, crawling, climbing, carrying and catching. Our bodies are built to carry out these natural movements, and reconnecting with our bodies in a natural way can help minimise the aches and pains from a workout. Lifting household objects, carrying groceries, reaching for top-shelf items and raking the yard are all ways to do everyday tasks more actively.

Use Stolen Moments

If we count all the moments in a day where we’re doing something ‘miscellaneous’ like brushing our teeth or sitting at the dinner table, there is enough time to do some light movement. Stretch while the kettle is boiling, balance on one leg while standing in a grocery line, walk around while on your phone, or do some squats and lunges around your home or office.

Switch Up Your Office

We all know that endless days behind a desk isn’t great for our health. Instead, break your activity up into intervals: sit for 20 minutes, stand for five minutes, move around and stretch for a few more. Switching up your movements by alternating between standing and sitting will also help you feel less stiff – maybe even sit on the floor at a coffee table if you can.

Text: Saadiqah Schroeder
Photo by Keenan Beasley on Unsplash