When I tell people walking to work is my main source of exercise, I often get a confused look in response.
After all, in a world filled with everything from pilates to yoga to CrossFit, simply walking isn’t exactly the most exciting fitness option on the market.
But there’s good news.
It turns out simply walking to the train station on your way to work or choosing to take the stairs is doing a lot more for you than you think.
Sam Wood shares his easy exercise tips for office workers. Post continues below…
According to a new paper published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine today, regular incidental exercise produces a number of health benefits – even if it’s just for short bursts throughout the day.
The best part? Chances are you’re probably already doing incidental exercise every single day.
As discussed in the study, doing things as simple as walking uphill to work or choosing to take the stairs actually comes with a number of health benefits.
Much like high intensity interval training (HIIT), incidental physical activity can lead to improvements in cardiorespiratory fitness which can help improve the function of the lungs, the heart and the circulatory systems.
In 2015, an observational study published in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology also found that trading just two minutes per of hour of sitting still for normal-paced walking could reduce your risk of death by one third.
For people with chronic kidney disease, the risk of dying was reduced by 41 per cent.
“Combining light activity with the recommended moderate-to-vigorous activity goals has the potential to double weekly energy expenditure,”Dr Srinivasan Beddhu told the Huffington Post.
Here are just some of the simple ways you can add incidental physical activity into your daily routine:
- Taking the stairs rather than the lift.
- Walking instead of driving when possible.
- Standing when possible at work.
- Choosing to walk uphill when possible.
- Park your car further away from your location to allow for extra walking.
- Get off the bus or the train one stop early.
- Stretch while watching TV.
- Walk the dog.
- Go for a walk on your lunch break.
- Clean your windows.
How do you fit incidental exercise into your life? Let us know in the comments.