Let’s face it, we all just sit more now then we used to. We sit on our commute to and from work, we sit at the office all day, then we come home and sit in front of the TV. In an era where it so so easy to sit all day you have to work harder in order to move your body more. I have found some easy ways to move my body throughout the day which ultimately helps me to burn extra calories all day long. None of these tips seem like life changing events, but if you do them daily they will make a change to your body over an extended period of time. Of course nothing will replace exercise completely, but every change you make can make an impact to your overall health.

10 Tips on How

1. Always take the stairs. No matter how tired you are or how much longer you think the stairs will take you, just walk up them.  I find at work when I take the stairs and someone else takes the elevator 9 times out of 10 the stairs end up always being faster.

2. Park  in the farthest parking spot you can find and walk. It might add a little extra time, but those extra steps every time you park far away can quickly add up. I also park at least one street over from my morning coffee spot in order to just get some extra steps in the morning before work.

3. Find opportunities for quick cardio bursts. I lift my legs and do high knees while brushing my teeth, I run in place while I blow dry my hair, and I hop around and dance while I vacuum, fold my laundry, or any other household chores.

4. Find time to cook more. Not only does cooking more help with eating better, but chopping, stirring, and mixing all help to burn extra calories. Plus you are also standing while you cook, which also helps burn additional calories.

5. Walk more. I have a problem with snacking when I get home from work so I try to use this time to take the dog on a longer walk. I also like to go on walks when I am talking on the phone. It is a good way to move your body while you do not even realize you are moving.  A walk to catch up with friends or co-workers is another great thing to incorporate in your day to day routine.

6. Stand up more. Stand while you are on the phone at work or at home. Stand at your dining table while you read through mail or browse online. Stand while waiting for an appointment, stand on the subway or bus, just anytime you have the ability to stand instead of sit do it.

7. Keep things farther away so you have to get up and in order to get them. For instance don’t use your remote control for the TV, make yourself get up and change the channel. When serving dinner leave everything in the kitchen. If you want more you will need to get back up and walk over in order to get more.

8. Fidget more. Tap your toes, dance around, pace back and forth. People who fidget a lot can burn up to an extra 300-350 calories a day just by doing small movements all day long.

9. Dance more. I for one love dancing as a way to get me out of a bad mood or as a way to relieve stress. 20 minutes of dancing can burn up to an extra 100 calories. The beauty of dancing is you can dance solo around your house or go out with girlfriends for a night on the town. This is a fun way to exercise.

10. Shop more. I like to grocery shop most nights as it helps me just walk more. I will walk the store a few times back and forth just to get extra steps in. Also this way I am hopefully not over buying groceries and instead I am just getting what I need for the night or next day.