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Adding Physical Activity to Your Day One Step at a Time

Last Updated: November 18, 2009

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More people are setting the goal to become more physically active. This goal can be achieved by adding simple activities to your everyday life to increase how much you move throughout the day. It is important to allow yourself at least two weeks to integrate the simple steps into your daily routine. After that, it just becomes habit!

Try incorporating the following tips into your daily schedule:


Woman walking on the beach


  1. Participate in activities that you enjoy doing! You don’t have to run five miles a day to be physically active. Activities such as gardening, walking, and even dancing can assist in your journey to becoming physically active and healthy.
  2. Incorporate physical activity into social events, such as having a party that includes physical activity games or going on a walk.
  3. Develop a support group and have friends and family join you in your goal. Exercise can be a wonderful time to bond with a family member or a friend, plus you have someone to share your hardships and triumphs with!
  4. Plan to be physically active at a time when you are most energized. This allows you to fully benefit from the workout, and it prevents injuries that may occur if you are physically and mentally sluggish during your workout.
  5. As you become more physically active, join a class to help develop your skills or to learn something completely new. This will prevent you from becoming bored with the same routine and will allow you to expand your physical ability and meet new people.

Using these tips to become more physically active will help you in achieving your goal for living a healthy life.

Reference:

Live it: Everyday ideas to rev up activity. Retrieved January 15, 2008, from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute Web site: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/wecan/live-it/ideas.htm


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