1.Try something new. Keeping fit doesn’t mean sweating on the treadmill for half an hour and hating every second of it. Doing something you enjoy, whilst having the encouragement of team mates, may inspire you to keep going back. Take a look at local sports teams, or outdoor activity classes, you may be surprised to find a new sport that you love, and it’s great exercise too. Finding a new hobby can help your activity levels, and don’t forget the social aspect, you may also make great friends along the way.
2.Get your steps in. Don’t forget that walking is a great form of exercise, you could aim to make it a habit to walk more. This isn’t to say you need to walk for long chunks of time, a brisk 15-minute walk can do the trick. Whether it’s a countryside walk with your dog, a short walk around the block on your lunch break, or going for a walk with your family after dinner, it all counts as movement. The fresh air could also do you the world of good too.
3.Set goals & rewards. There are so many benefits to moving more, it all counts, so why not reward yourself along the way. Set weekly targets, such as 5 x 30-minute bouts of activity, and reward yourself when you achieve this target. It's great for motivating yourself! Longer-term challenges, such as swimming a certain distance, achieving a set number of reps for an exercise, or running a personal best are all great ideas too. Remember, make it challenging but realistic and achievable too.
4.Become a morning person. You’ve had a long day at work and the last thing you want to do is go to the gym, so how about setting your alarm earlier and getting your exercise in then? It’s a great feeling at the end of the day when your daily activity has already been completed. Choose an activity that you enjoy, remember that this doesn’t need to be a high-intensity session that you dread; swimming, 5 a side football, or touch rugby with your friends still contributes towards your daily goals. Whilst this may not be for everyone, it’s worth giving it a try.
5.Short and sharp - Make workouts short but at a high intensity. We understand that on those non-stop days you won’t always be able to workout for long periods. For those times, it can help to make your activity a short bout of high-intensity exercise, 10-15 minutes at most. The brilliant thing about HIIT (high intensity interval training) is that it doesn’t require equipment and can be done at home, in a park, in your garden, or even at the office (if you have the space!). There’s a whole range of exercises to try out ranging from squats all the way to sprints so there is something for everyone.
