WELLNESS

Easy Ways To Sneak Activity Into Your Day

If it’s hard for you to find the time to go to the gym or take a fitness class, that’s all right Focus on doing other activities that get your heart rate up and your muscles moving These ideas from experts can help you get started

Make a game of it Come up with some fun goals for your day and for the week ahead. Maybe see how many times you can do a lap around your building or office space “Walk at a brisk enough pace that you reach a target heart rate,” says Dr Rue

Dare to stair Choose to take the stairs if they’re available to you, says Mark Slabaugh, MD. He’s a sports medicine physician at Mercy Medical Center in Baltimore, Maryland For instance, walk up the stairs at the mall or at the airport instead of using the escalator Or walk up and down your stairs at home 10 times to get your heart rate up.

Try a health tracker A health tracker can be motivating You wear these tech devices around your wrist, and they count how many steps you take each day You’ll get credit for steps at the grocery store, while you ’ re mowing the lawn, as you walk your child to school and so on. Set a goal for the day (say, 4,000 steps) and see how far you get Once that goal gets easy, you can bump it up

Move more when you do chores When you pick up clothes from the floor, carry groceries or tie your shoes, you ’ re moving. You may not think twice about these activities But they can help you build balance and coordination Another way to boost activity: Blast your favorite music while you sweep, dust or fold laundry. You can’t help but move faster and feel more energetic.

Squeeze in a mini workout Strengthen your bones and build endurance with a quick circuit of exercise you can do right in your kitchen Good choices:

Squats

Marching in place

Side steps with a band around your legs

Planks

Pushups against a counter

“Perform a circuit of each exercise for 1 minute each,” says Kelyssa Hall. She’s an exercise physiologist at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City “One circuit will take you 5 minutes ”

Find ways to walk Park farther away from your destination than you normally would and walk the rest of the way, says Farah Hameed, MD. She’s a sports medicine specialist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York City. Grab a spot at the far end of the parking lot. And if you take public transportation, get off 1 or 2 stops early and use your feet