Moving more during the day

Increasing your physical activity levels doesn’t mean you have to join a gym, buy lots of equipment or commit lots of time to. It can start off very simply and be built into your daily life.

Some easy ways to build more activity into your day could be:

• Taking the stairs instead of the escalator or lift.
• Getting off the bus a couple of stops early and walking the rest.
• Parking further away from your destination.
• At work, go for a walk on your lunch break.
• Have periods of standing, either on the bus, at work or at home.
• Walking to the shops and carrying the shopping home.
• Doing regular exercise/stretches while watching TV or doing some stretches during TV breaks.

Performing some light exercises while doing everyday activities can also make a big difference for example:

• Whilst making a cup of tea/coffee, if you drink 5 cups a day, that could be an extra 15 mins of activity you add to your daily total.
• Side-stepping while clearing the dishes away.
• Standing on one leg while brushing your teeth, to challenge your balance.
• Calf raises/heel raises whilst waiting for the bus to arrive.
• Squatting to look at the bottom shelf in the supermarket throughout a trip around the supermarket rather than bending over.
• Chair based exercises such as chest stretches, upper body twists, ankle stretches and neck rotations. See the NHS page here for more details.

No matter how small, every bit of physical activity you incorporate into your day will make a significant difference to your health. Whether it’s a brief walk, a few minutes of stretching, or climbing up and down the stairs a few times a day, it all adds up.