2. Increasing Lifestyle Activity

Now you’ve gotten into the habit of sitting around less, it’s time to start moving around more. This is mainly where your 60-90 minutes of daily physical activity is going to come from.

Later on, when you become fitter and more confident you can start doing more strenuous activities, but here are a few simple tips to help you become more active in your daily life.

• Using the stairs instead of the lift

  Remember, start gently and gradually increase the difficult level. If you work on the 6th floor then the thought of using the stairs in the morning may seem demoralising. So why not start off by taking the lift to the 5th floor and walking up the last flight? When this becomes habitual and easy, get off on the 4th floor and walk up two flights. If this is too difficult, wait until you are ready. Eventually you should be able to climb the whole flight of stairs and no longer need to use the lift at all.

• Get off the bus a couple of stops early.

  As before, when this becomes habitual, you may want to try walking the entire route occasionally. This depends somewhat on the length of your journey (and the weather), but it’s about finding simple, innovative ways to become more active in your daily life. Soon you may even start to think of exercise as a pleasant experience, after all – who wants to sit on a crowded bus of grumpy commuters when you could be outside enjoying the sunshine and fresh air?

• If you drive into a supermarket car-park, find a parking space in a distant corner and walk. You’ll not only be surprised by how easy it is to park, but you’ll be taking some exercise as well.
• If you work in a big building, go to the toilets on a different floor. This will increase the amount of time you spend on your feet, give you some more stairs to climb up and down, and burn more calories.
• Get out at lunch time and go for a walk in the park or a walk to the shops
• Instead of taking a coffee break, take a five-minute walk around the block
• Gardening is good exercise and helps you keep fit
• Dogs need to be taken out for regular exercise. If you have a dog, make sure you take it out for walks. This will keep you active as well
• When seeing friends, why not do something active such as a walk in the park

1. Reducing Sedentary Behaviour

3. Organised Activity and Sports

Types of exercise

Building activity into your daily life