Struggle to fit your active minutes in each week? Here’s a few tips on how to squeeze more movement into everyday life. 

Did you know that physical activity doesn’t have to be playing sport or going to the gym? Anything that gets your heart rate up, increases your temperature and gets you slightly out of breath counts. It could be as simple as going for a brisk walk or running up the stairs instead of walking. 

Begin by finding an exercise routine that works for you. We know that the recommended target of 150 active minutes a week sounds like a lot. Begin by breaking it down into achievable chunks doing something that works for you and your current routine. Next step is to come up with a plan. Planning when to exercise means you’re more likely to do it. 

Maybe it’s a few half hour gym sessions scattered through the week, or a swim on a Sunday, or a light jog every other day. Take a close look at your routine and see where you could add in some physical activity. It only has to be an extra couple of minutes here or 5 minutes there. It all adds up and before you know it you’ll have achieved your minutes for the week and more. 

Here’s some tips on how to break physical activity down into smaller, more achievable, chunks, and add movement to your everyday life: 

• Lunge as you hoover. 
• Get off the bus a stop early and take a brisk walk the rest of the way. 
• Try some seated arm and leg movements as you watch tv. 
• Do some squats while the kettle is boiling. How many can you do? Set yourself a challenge and try and beat your record next time you’re making a cuppa. 

• Take a walk while chatting on the phone. 
• Add some calf raises or side steps while you’re washing up, being careful not to make a mess! 
• Skip boring TV adverts and take a walk around your house or do some star jumps while you’re waiting for your fave programme to come back on. 

Finding things you enjoy doing is the key as we’re much more likely to do something if we have fun doing it!