Tips for including more physical activity in your day

Increases in daily activity can come from small changes made throughout your day – they all add up. You can accumulate your 30 minutes (or more) of physical activity for health throughout the day by combining a few shorter sessions of activity of around 10 to 15 minutes each.

To make a habit out of increasing activity in your day, you can:

• Take the stairs instead of the lift.
• Park further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way.
• Walk or cycle instead of using the car for short trips.
• Take your dog (or a neighbour’s dog) for a walk.
• Walk rather than stand still on escalators.
• Get off the bus/train/tram one or two stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.
• Do some physical work in the garden.
• Play with children in an active way.
• Catch up with friends by walking together rather than going for coffee.
• Try a new sport or go back to one you have played before.
• Do some simple exercises (e.g. jog on the spot) while waiting for the kettle to boil or for food to cook in the microwave.
• Hide the remote control so you have to get up to change TV channels
• Walk around the house during commercial breaks on TV
• Get an allotment – combine physical activity and healthy eating!

REMEMBER these two key phrases to help you be more active every day…

Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience!
Where any form of movement of the body is seen as an opportunity for improving health, not as a time-wasting inconvenience.

Be active every day in as many ways as you can!
Make a habit of walking or cycling instead of using the car especially for short journeys, or always do things yourself instead of using labour-saving machines.