Physical activity is vital for staying healthy and making sure you can still engage in meaningful activities throughout your day. 

With the busyness of life, it can be quite easy to forfeit meaningful movement for work or family commitments or simply just resting. 

However, you don’t always have to choose one or the other, there are 50 ways to incorporate more movement in your life: 

1. When you first wake up, start the day with an active stretch

2. Take the stairs instead of the lift

3. Set hourly alarms to stand up and take a short walk

4. Find a nice spot away from your desk to eat lunch

5. Start a group physical activity at work (e.g. walking together after work)

6. Use a standing desk

7. Park further away than normal so that you take more steps to get to work

8. Stretch your wrists and hands after typing out emails 

9. Watch videos while standing up instead of sitting

10. Practice “pulling your string” to improve your posture at your desk

11. Do a couple of body weight squats while waiting for your meeting to start

12. Use your water bottle for bicep curls 

13. Find an exercise buddy at work

14. Walk around or march in place while on the phone

15. Go for a short walk during your lunch break

16. Increase the speed of your walking

17. Stretch in between episodes while watching TV

18. Get up and grab a glass of water during commercial breaks

19. Fidget more!

20. Plan hang outs with friends that include physical activity

21. Do some lunges while waiting for the jug to boil for a cup of tea

22. Break up your physical activity into 10 minute intervals

23. Join a gym or gym challenge

24. Do calf raises while brushing your teeth

25. Help your family with the gardening (if you’re not already doing so)

26. Walk to your work colleague’s office to have a face-to-face meeting instead of an email

27. Use a basket instead of a cart at the store

28. Move your bin away from your desk so you have to walk to it

29. Play with your kids more often

30. Organise a walking meeting instead of sitting

31. Reduce couch time, sit on the floor instead of a couch

32. Keep a tennis/stress ball at work to squeeze during the day

33. Stand while waiting for appointments

34. Walk into a restaurant instead of using the drive through

35. Have a 3-minute dance break during the day

36. Prepare workout gear the night before so you’re more motivated the next day

37. Carry your stuff with you in your bag throughout the day

38. Print out quotes that motivate you to move more and stick them around your desk/home

39. Do multiple trips when unloading the car after shopping

40. Do some light tidying up when waiting for your computer to start up

41. Move your legs while sitting at your desk

42. Challenge your balance and try standing on one leg

43. Skip to places instead of walking

44. Use a foam roller to roll out tight areas of the body

45. Offer to help when you see someone moving heavy things

46. Download an app that will track your daily step count

47. Plan a reward after physical activity – treat yourself!

48. Keep a yoga mat by your desk to remind yourself to stretch

49. Follow social media accounts that promote physical activity

50. Stretch while winding down for the night before bed

The author is a physiotherapist and can be contacted at Alec’s Health Specialist Centre on telephone 28303.