Easy ways to exercise that are often overlooked

One thing we can say for sure is that summer bodies don’t just happen. Jennifer Aniston does not wake up every morning with tone and definition. Tom Holland does not have a permanent eight-pack. To look good and feel good requires strict diets, consistent training, and unwavering determination. Or does it? Here are 32 ways you can exercise without splashing out on an expensive gym membership you use twice.

I will add that I have been very picky here. I wanted to include only things that I think are realistic. I have disregarded the likes of bicep curls with tins of tomatoes along with anything that doesn’t add value beyond fitness solely. Getting off public transport a stop early, for example, is no different to just allocating time specifically to fitness, this article is all about incorporating it into the things you already do.

Easy ways to exercise that are often overlooked

Shop daily

Here is something inspired by the French way of life. If you’re living in a city, instead of doing one big weekly shop, pop out each day. There are two benefits here, the first being fresher food. It’s slightly weird that we’re okay with having food that has been sitting in our house for seven days when we could have bought it fresh on the day if we could be bothered. The second benefit is that these additional outings supercharge your step count. When I started doing this I consistently hit my daily step goal of 10,000 without sparing a thought to it. 20,000 is now what I aim for. Don’t tell me you don’t have time, just sub out the amount of time you spend watching Netflix.

Try standing on one leg on public transport

Right, so I’m not saying that you should be going flamingo style here. Please don’t lift your leg high into the air and inconvenience yourself and other passengers. Instead, subtly lift one foot a few inches off the ground. Suddenly you are engaging your core and stabiliser muscles to maintain your balance. At the same time, you can easily regain control at a moment's notice by putting your other foot down. You might want to master balancing on one leg in your kitchen or shower before you progress to something as public as the metro.

Breathe only through your nose

I don’t know why we don’t talk more about this. Nose breathing has endless benefits. Crucially for exercise, it forces your body to use oxygen more efficiently. It is essentially like using one of those machines you sometimes see athletes wearing while training, altitude machines. Nasal breathing can mimic the limited airflow, the CO2 tolerance and strengthens the muscles you use for breathing. There are so many other benefits I won’t go into, but safe to say, we should all be doing it.

Take the stairs

“That’s so obvious” I hear you cry. Yet why do I still find myself being the only one not standing on the escalators, staring at my phone, allowing my body to disintegrate into obsoleteness as I leave the metro? The stairs are usually right beside the lift. This is the easiest thing you can do with the least amount of disruption to your routine.

Take a basket instead of a trolley

Now this one is down to your personal judgement and is much easier if you shop daily, rather than doing big weekly shops. Ditch the trolley. You could be doing a 10-minute upper body workout as you carry that basket around the shop. Take it on one arm until you start to feel the burn, then switch arms. If you’re shopping for a big family this might be not possible, but you’ll get your turn when you carry in the shopping. Don’t call for backup. You got this.

Wash your car, without machines

Get out your sponge, fill your bucket with car soap (not Fairy Liquid) and get stuck in. Okay, this is not one for the winter, but from March through to October this is an easy way to stay active. Incentivise yourself and put the money that you would have spent on the car wash machine into a jar.

Walk and talk

If you’re on the phone, you’re focused on the call. You can’t really use your device and you can’t use your laptop. This is a prime opportunity to boost your step count. The benefits of walking and talking don’t stop at fitness. If you’re walking your brain is focused on this active movement alongside the call. If you are sitting down you are much more susceptible to distractions. Two for the price of one.

Use backless chairs or a gym ball

I have tried both backless chairs and exercise balls and I will say that while a gym ball forces more engagement of the body, they are a bit annoying. They are ugly and always rolling around the place. Mine also burst eventually. Maybe something best left for the gym, unless of course you still work in an office and you are allowed to do this. In which case, get it ordered. A backless chair is the perfect alternative. You are forced to engage your core to maintain a good posture. When you have something to fall back on (no pun intended), you slouch, your posture is poor and you risk injury.

Get an allotment

Who doesn’t like fresh veg? This is an excellent opportunity for you to get out of the house, meet new people, and grow your own food. Maybe you can’t be bothered with the faff of slug repellents? If that is the case, dedicate your allotment to growing your own flowers. Gardening should be the first port of call for anyone serious about unconventional ways to exercise.

Take two stairs at a time

Start taking two steps up every time. Not only will you get up the stairs quicker but you'll also pack in a light workout without even noticing. This could be tricky on escalators, but doable on regular stairs.

Stand in the queue

Here is something I've noticed that always baffles me, especially at the airport. People mocking others who stand in a queue to board, claiming it is a pointless pursuit because seats are pre-allocated. Well, I have two things to say. Firstly, yes the seats are pre-allocated, but the overhead luggage is not. I don’t want to have to store my bags 10 rows behind me. I want to get to my holiday as soon as humanly possible. Secondly, we are about to spend hours sitting down. If there is an opportunity to not sit down, I am going to take it. Climb off your high horse and climb up from your airport lounge seat. Your body will thank you later.

Avoid the cracks

A nice little throwback to childhood now. When you’re walking on the pavement, try to avoid stepping on the cracks. This is going to be great for your stabiliser muscles, and your legs as you start to have to do mini lunges. It also makes walking more fun. An alternative to this is trying to walk directly on the curb. I’m not going to recommend it as it is risky beside the road, but if the opportunity presents itself, you know what to do.

Dive into dough

So chopping an onion is never going to make you stronger unless you are chopping with a spoon. However, making dough by hand is going to make you sweat. It is without a doubt the best food preparation workout you will find. Generally, you are going to knead for 10 to 15 minutes as a minimum. You absolutely do not need an appliance to do this for you. Become healthier with homemade dough and get stronger as you do it.

Stretch in the shower

Now I’m not going to suggest you start doing push-ups or squats in the shower. Most people don’t have space, and it's simply unrealistic. What you definitely can do though, is stretch. Reach down to your ankles, pull your feet up behind you, stretch your shoulders and back. These are all easy to do. Flexibility is the route of strength and fundamental to avoiding injury.

Wash up by hand

Yes a dishwasher is great when you have a big meal with lots of people and want to make the most of your time mingling with them. The rest of the time it is simply quicker to do it by hand. Are you going to feel a muscle burn? No. But the point here is that you are still actually using your body and your muscles feel valued and appreciated.

Be a dancing queen

Some people are watchers and some people are dancers. In fact, most people are watchers. How many times have you been to a wedding and the majority of the crowd are just sitting around the dance floor with a drink in hand? Stop being a watcher. Be a dancing queen and throw yourself into the mix. I guarantee you will leave that wedding or party having had a great time whilst raising your heart rate a bit. Do I hear you say you can’t dance? Literally none of us can, we’re all going down together.

Swap your dominant hand

Whether you are slicing a loaf of bread, stirring a pot or carrying a shoulder bag, you are probably defaulting to using the same hand or arm time after time. Well, let’s mix it up. Activate the opposite side of your body by swapping hands. Not only will this wake up new muscles, it will also wake up other parts of your brain, and start to restore balance. Fitness aside, this is a really great thing to try.

Use a giant water bottle

It’s never a bad thing to be appropriately hydrated, so I suggest that instead of packing a one-litre bottle, you pack a two-litre bottle or even three. Are you supposed to drink it all? No. But the extra weight is a great way to exercise without realising. Plus, the more you drink the lighter your bag and the more you are hydrated. It’s what we call a triple threat. In the best way possible.

Get a weighted vest

I think this is one of the smartest ways you can upgrade your subconscious fitness game. It is, however, very reliant on it not being summer. Or rather, hot. Summer is no guarantee of heat these days. After a morning of wearing a weighted vest you will have forgotten it’s there, but take it off and you will feel like you’re flying. By making everything a little bit more strenuous your body will naturally adapt, and when it becomes easy, add more weight. The eesults from this are impressive.

Try on ankle weights for size

Ankle weights are a really great way to focus that subconscious exercise to your legs. I lean towards a weighted vest because it can be easily worn under an oversized jumper. Ankle weights are somewhat less discreet. That said, pair them with some cigarette trousers or flares and you’re in business.

Have a rearrange

I don’t know about you, but when I change my laptop background or shuffle the apps on my phone, I feel like I have a new device. It gives them a new life and I can wait another year before buying anything new (or changing my background again). I am four years into that method and going strong. The same applies to rooms in your house. When I have a rearrange it is a mental cleanse. And bam, without realising you’ve lifted, carried, painted, pushed and you’re fitter than you were yesterday. This isn’t something you can incorporate into your daily routine, but maybe a couple of times a year.

Get a hand strength trainer at your desk

I actively avoid desk workouts. I tested a few out and honestly, I just find it really hard to concentrate while lifting my feet off the floor to engage my core. That or any of the other suggestions that I dug up. I propose instead something that replaces something you currently do. For this suggestion let’s say you’re a pen spinner. Swap pen spinning for a hand strength trainer. One in, one out. It’s not a distraction, it’s just something you do.

Continue helping the elderly carry things

I hope you’re doing this anyway if you’re able to and if the assistance is welcomed by the person in question. Chances are that it will be a heavy suitcase on some stairs. Well now is your time to shine. You effortlessly float up the stairs, two at a time, weighted vest doubling your mass. You move easily with nothing but a smile on your face as you incorporate yet another exercise into your day.

Pick up things from the floor with your feet

We all do this. Now let’s talk about it and make it a social norm. If there is dirty washing on the floor do you bend down? No, we pick it up with our feet. An excellent way to do a bit of balance training. Start to do it with your shoes, your bag, or anything that you drop. Persist if it is hard, that way you’ll improve, and before you know it you’ll be picking up chairs, switching on lights and writing letters with your feet.

Rolling a ball under your foot at your desk

Are you a leg shaker or food tapper? Then this one is for you. You only need a tennis ball for this and you’ll find you use it a lot. Rolling the ball under your foot improves circulation and relieves foot tension and pain. A great way to rebound if you’ve been doing exercises that have been fairly high impact.

Walk quicker

For the sake of society in general, pavements should have sides, like roads. I also think each side should have a fast lane and a slow lane. Slow walkers should be fined for walking in the fast lane. In the absence of this much-needed system, all I can advise is that you walk quicker. Elevate that heart rate, get where you’re going faster. You’re not on holiday, it’s not about the journey, it’s about the destination. And another way to exercise that is often overlooked.

Drink more water

Proceed with caution here. Don’t overdo it. Sometimes your watch telling you it’s time to stand up is just not enough motivation to actually do it. Well, there’s nothing like the risk of an embarrassing accident at work as an adult to motivate you to get up and go to the loo. Give your eyes a break from your screen and bump up your step count.

Upgrade your trainers

This is less a way to exercise, and more some advice to enable you to do it better and enjoy it more. Old trainers cause all sorts of injuries. You might have been for a run and now have some knee pain, more often than not this is down to the wrong footwear. If you are wearing your trainers regularly you should be changing them every four to six months.

Collapse cardboard by hand

I think we all have the best intentions when it comes to collapsing cardboard boxes. I start by removing the tape… and that is where my best intentions end. The tape gets halfway around the box and then gets stuck at a junction to the tape crossing it. I throw the box on the floor and jump on it. The box is flat (ish). We should all persist. Beat the tape, work those arm muscles. Resorting to stamping it down is the easy way out, and there is no easy route to staying fit.

Walk on the uneven ground

Here is a tip you can apply to your whole fitness routine. Walking on flat ground means your stabiliser muscles are not used to the extent they should be, so they get weak. The second you do hit the uneven terrain those unused muscles aren’t ready to respond accordingly, and bam you get injured. Prepare in advance and redirect your morning run away from the perfectly smooth path. How does this principle apply to the rest of your routine? It’s about working muscles on different planes. If you’re doing core, for example, a machine in the gym moves in a fixed direction. This means for your core, you are not activating all the muscles in that area and hence not maximising your development.

Think of it like riding a bike with four wheels instead of two. With four wheels you don’t need to balance at all, you just build strength in one area. Whereas a bike with two wheels requires the body to be far more engaged, balancing and getting stronger.

Put shoes and socks on while standing

Maybe you think this is easy. Maybe you are already a pro. I have observed in my own micro study that nearly everyone I watched put their shoes or socks on, sat down. If not sat down, then one foot was on the floor. Doing the whole job, including tying your laces whilst standing is no mean feat (or feet). Activate your core, perfect your balance, and never sit down to put your socks or shoes on again.

Stop leaning on things

This is something you’re going to realise you do a lot more than you were aware of. Leaning on a wall, leaning on your desk, leaning on the table, leaning on the kitchen counter. Stop leaning. Stop letting your body not work. That’s what a bed is for. Spend the day forcing your body to hold itself, all on its own. Then when you get good at that, you can return to some other points on this list like weighted vests