Exercise does not have to be complicated

Staying active is a key component of living a healthy lifestyle. To help you reach your goals, it’s important to understand how much you’re currently exercising, so you can assess whether or not you might benefit from building new habits.

Understand your current activity levels

Your activity refers to the amount of movement you do each day. You could do this by tracking the number of steps you take or monitoring how long you’re working out. You might also want to consider how you feel. Does climbing a flight of stairs leave you feeling winded? Are you starting to find it more difficult to perform some of your daily tasks?

Becoming aware of how much activity you do each day, as well as how your body and mind feel, helps you to be aware of your physical health so that you can take care of it.

The goal most often recommended is to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week. Consider also adding 2 sessions of strength training each week.

Tips to improve your activity levels

If your activity levels are not quite where you want them to be, there are a number of things that you can do to improve this.

Try adding in an extra walk each day, or if you have the time, extend your workout by 5 - 10 minutes.

Challenge yourself to perform body weight exercises, for example squats or calf raises, while waiting for your kettle to boil or while watching a favorite show.

Consider the smaller things you can do throughout the day. Take the stairs instead of the elevator or park further away from the shops to add extra steps. Meet your friend for a walk in the park instead of sitting down for a coffee.

If you are ready to take a more formal approach to becoming more active you could sign up for a fitness class or join a recreational sport. Organized fitness activities offer the advantage of happening at set times so that you can schedule them into your week and it can be motivating to exercise with other people. Pick something you enjoy or are excited to try and you just might find a new life-long habit.

Exercise does not have to be complicated. There are plenty of simple ways to get your activity levels to where you want them to be.