“I can’t find the time to exercise” is a commonly cited reason why a vast majority of people lead sedentary lives. In truth, waiting to find that extra time to exercise will likely result in little change in one’s physical activity level. The notion of finding time for fitness is more proactively accomplished by actually making time for fitness. Thankfully, physical activity doesn’t have to be complicated or elaborate, or even require a gym membership, for that matter. The key is planning activities that can be easily integrated into your existing lifestyle. 

Work Within Your Environment

Perhaps the easiest form of exercise to incorporate into a healthy lifestyle is walking, which doesn’t require any equipment or special skills and can be done just about anywhere. Break times at work, for example, offer a great opportunity to take a brisk walk around the block or around the office building. 

Need to get a message to a co-worker? Instead of sending an email, try getting out of your seat and relaying the message in person. 

Planning an office meeting? Instead of sitting around a conference room table, consider a walking meeting. The fresh air and change of scenery may help the group come up with new and creative solutions to work issues. 

Routine tasks can also be accomplished with incorporated activity. Many of us are familiar with the notion of parking a little farther away or taking the stairs instead of the elevator. But what happens when we find ourselves stuck on a long call? Try standing or walking around your office instead of sitting during the call. This small change will help you burn at least twice the amount of calories during that telephone call. 

Need to run a quick errand such as a trip to the bank, grocery store or mailbox? Instead of getting in the car to drive a few blocks, take a quick walk to tackle those nearby errands. You’ll not only get in some physical activity, you’ll save money on gasoline as well. With little effort, exercise can easily become a part of the tasks we normally do within our daily environment. 

Work With What You Enjoy

Another key step toward making time for physical activity is by changing the way we view exercise. We begin this process by making sure we plan activities around things we enjoy. 

Find Your Passion

Finding enjoyable ways to move more each day can be a very important factor in a healthy lifestyle. Most of us are unwilling to do things we dislike. Therefore, it’s imperative we find activities that are enjoyable because we’ll be much more likely to work them into our busy schedule. 

Seek Opportunities

Adventure hike vacations, family-oriented activities such as an afternoon at a roller (or ice) rink, miniature golf or an early stroll around a mall before the stores actually open are all fun ways the entire family can stay active. Find the ones that work for you and your family and inspire you to be active together. 

Our lives are often filled with “must do’s” and deadlines that can take the focus off our own health and wellbeing. Proactively making time for fitness by incorporating it into our normal, everyday routines will likely result in a greater willingness to stick with it over the long term.