There are multiple ways you can increase physical activity in  your day.

Sedentary: inactivity such as sitting (watching TV, being at desk at work) or lying (resting in bed)

Incidental Activity: lifestyle activity that is part of day to day life. This includes climbing stairs, household chores, light gardening, walking to the train station.

Formal exercise: planned exercise where both pulse and respiratory rate are increased.

Benefits of Increasing Overall Activity

3 main benefits:

1. Improves long term weight maintenance.
2. Reduces health risks associated with obesity.
   Medical benefits: delays the onset of diabetes, improves glucose tolerance, improves the motility of people with arthritis, reduces the risk of high blood pressure.
3. To increase calorie consumption.
   The thermogenic (burning calories) effects of activity range from may stay elevated from 40 minutes to 3 days.

How to Increase Activity Levels

Start simple. Exercise should be fun and incremental

Become less sedentary

• Reduce the amount of time sitting down (sitting at work, in front on a computer, on social media).
• Watch less TV (or even consider giving your TV away) is a simple and achievable goal.
• Get a standing station at work.

Increase lifestyle activity

• Look out for opportunities to be active. (while waiting at school sport, lunchtimes walks etc)

Increase formal exercise

The components of a good exercise program are cardio, resistance and stretching.

Cardio

• Pre-plan exercise like an appointment. Write it into your diary.
• Find an exercise buddy (do any parents at school, or at your social club or work colleagues live near you?).
• Involve your partner and consider having a punishment (like doing the ironing or washing.
• Do a walk every lunch break.
• Instead of going out for coffee with friends, do some exercise and occasionally have coffee as a treat afterwards.

Resistance Training

Use weights to build and tone muscles. It helps you burn energy and increases your muscle mass. As muscles use blood sugar for energy, the more muscle you have, the more energy that is able to be burnt.

Some things you can do at home:

• Purchase a fit ball or a Dyna Band.
• Do weight bearing exercises (push ups, triceps dips and lunges).

Stretching

• Stretching allows your muscles to have full range of movement and can diminish tightness and stiffness. This can allow you to move more freely and enjoy a better state of health.
• Try and stretch for 10 minutes each day.