4 Simple Ways to Increase your Physical Activity

“Physical activity is important to a healthy lifestyle and if you are not active throughout the day then you could develop health problems. But many of us don’t exercise enough and spend a large amount of time sitting at our desks during the day. If you don’t have a good desk chair then this can lead to all kinds of health problems, one of the most common being back pain. But there are plenty of ways that you can get physical exercise throughout the day in and out of the office but making some small changes.
1.  Take the Stairs
This is as simple as it sounds but it can actually help you to get a lot more physical activity every day. Many of us work in a large office building and take the lift to our floor, even if it’s only two flights where we could quite easily take the stairs. And it doesn’t just apply to our office environment either, as there are many instances when you opt to take the lift instead of the stairs. This includes if you catch the train to work or when shopping in large department stores. Choosing to take the stairs each time instead can increase your physical activity
2. Park Further Away
This is another simple step that you can take to increase your physical activity each day. When we are driving to work, or even to the shops, many of us will look for a parking space as close to our destination as possible. But this means less walking distance and less physical activity. Although this might not seem like a big change it can actually make a difference, especially if it is a sizeable walk to and from your car. Just by doing this every day you can help to improve your health and get a little more physical activity each time. You might even be less likely to get dents in your car too, as fewer people tend to park further away from the store entrance.
3. Track your Steps
This one is down to your own determination but can also help you to become more physically active. There are plenty of ways that you can track your steps and it can be an easy way to track your progress. There are multiple mobile phone apps that are free and will track your steps for you. Apple Health is a built in App for the iPhone and can also track other exercises. By setting yourself a step target, you can aim to reach those steps every day and look to improve on this if you reach your target. This can also turn into a fun task where you look to walk a bit further each day, without the exercise feeling like a chore.
4. Exercise at your Desk
There are plenty of exercises that you can do at your desk to help increase the physical activity you undertake throughout the day. These can be done during your lunch break or even throughout the day as they don’t take much time. Some of the simple exercises that you can do at your desk include:

Desk Push-Ups – take a step back from your desk and use both hands to push up from it. This will strengthen your biceps and arms at the desk.
Chair Squats – standing in front of your chair, lower your body onto the edge of your seat before lifting yourself back up again.
Sitting Leg Raise – sitting on your chair, straighten your leg completely and hold for 10 seconds before lowering it. This will work to tighten your abs.

These are just some ideas about how you can get more active throughout the day. Although none of these is a major change to your daily routine, just making a small change can have a big impact. We are sure there are plenty of other ways that you can think of to get fit, too. Having a good ergonomic desk chair is also important for your health and can make your day sat at a desk more comfortable.”