During the course of a day, you may or may not realize there are opportunities abound to grab a few reps of exercise to work your body. There are a variety of choices you can make to burn an extra calorie and activate your muscles for better long-term benefits. Of course it’s all about seizing the moment. I wouldn’t suggest to drop and do 10 push-ups in the middle of a meeting, or to jog around the parking lot in 95 degree weather in your suit (sweat, sticky clothes the rest of the day, and maybe even smell).

Here are some suggestions based on the various things I may do during the course of any given day to “add-on” to my regular healthy lifestyle routine. Some I may need to be in a more casual dress just in case I do sweat a bit. Any many of these I may repeat, and the number of reps isn’t fixed. These probably seem obvious to some, but it’s a matter of actually doing them instead of thinking about it. Just keep in mind that if you do exercise regularly, you don’t want to overwork a particular muscle group. For instance, if today was “ab day”, I may not do any extra ab work today or tomorrow (rest is vital for muscle recovery).

• Don’t look for that parking space close to the entrance at the mall/store – just park and walk.
• Drop and do those 10 push-ups in your office. Vary the type – narrow, wide, sphinx, etc.
• You can squeeze in a few ab routines during the day – crunches, plank for a minute, leg raises, oblique raises, etc.
• Do 30 squats and 30 lunges (each leg) – make it more interesting and grab something around you that weighs a few pounds (or is just plain heavy).
• Do a wall squat for 60 seconds.
• Take the stairs instead of the elevator/escalator. If I’m going up several floors, I might jog up skipping a step.
  • Another stair routine – I’ll walk up stairs squatting down with each step to better engage the leg muscles.
• Take a 10 minute walk during a break or at lunch. Walk at a faster pace to increase your heart rate.
• I have a mini cycle under my desk – I may “bike” for 5 minutes while on the computer. I even saw a fitness band exerciser that attaches to an office chair.
• Press your hands together and apply pressure to engage the chest muscles – hold for 30 seconds. Vary the position – in front of you, over your head, etc.

You can find many other examples of things you can do during the day. Here’s an article in the Washington Post:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/health/workout-at-work/. The Mayo Clinic has suggestions: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/office-exercise/SM00115

The above does not replace or act as a regular exercise routine, it augments it. But it’s these little movements and “extras” you can incorporate into your daily routine to help stay fit, have some fun, all which continually make you think of being active.