You know you need to exercise more and get healthy. The problem is it’s a lot easier said than done. If you’re struggling with traditional exercise advice, here are six brilliant ways you can fit a routine into your busy workday. 

Park Farther Away

Wherever you go, make an effort to park at the back of the parking lot or as far away as you can (within reason) from the event you’re attending. This forces you to walk more. You don’t have to park 5 kilometers away, but it should take some effort to get to wherever you’re going. If you park a kilometer away, that’s probably fine. 

If you can park a kilometer away from work, that’s a minimum of 2 kilometers you’d be walking every day. According to the Compendium of Physical Activities: An update of activity codes and MET [metabolic equivalent] intensities – the amount of calories you burn depends entirely on the weight you’re carrying. For example, if you weigh about 200 pounds, walking 2 kilometers would burn almost 230 calories. If you only weigh 160 lbs. you’ll burn off almost 180 calories. 

Focus on the distance, not speed. In other words, walking faster won’t burn more calories, because you’ll shorten the time you spend going the distance. Therefore, you’ll just be exerting more effort for the same result. 

Stand More

Standing can burn calories and help you get stronger in the process. Most people sit too long throughout the day. In fact, researchers in the U.K found volunteers who stood for at least three hours a day had higher heart rates (about 10 bpm higher, on average) and burned 50 more calories per hour than on non-standing days. Their blood glucose levels also returned to normal faster after a meal than on non-standing days. 

It might not sound like much, but 50 more calories per day is 30,000 more calories per year and 8 pounds of fat loss — all that from standing around. 

Start Fidgeting

There are two kinds of people in this world: people who fidget and people who complain about people who fidget. If you fall into the former category, consider yourself lucky (at least for fat-burning purposes). 

No, seriously. According to one Iowa State University study, you can burn an additional 300 calories per day just by fidgeting, standing up, and milling around. So, when someone tells you to stop bouncing your legs, ignore them. You’re creating movement which has been shown to burn calories, just like ordinary exercise. 

Sit on a Ball

Those inflatable balls at the gym look kind of goofy, but they have a practical use in the office. Replace your chair with one, and start exercising. How? When you sit in a normal chair, the chair takes away your need to balance and hold yourself upright. In effect, the chair is “doing the work” for you. 

By using an inflatable exercise ball, you’ll be engaging your core muscles, creating better stability, and getting a workout throughout the day. If you get tired, and you notice your shoulder slumping, stand up and walk around. The idea is to keep your chest up and your abs engaged while you sit. Always breathe through your diaphragm. You’ll be surprised by how challenging this is. 

Do 10 Random Push-ups Every Day

Random push-ups throughout the day will break up the monotony. You don’t have to spend a lot of time on this. After all, it’s just 10 push-ups, right? However, your heart rate will increase dramatically, and you’ll feel more invigorated. It won’t make you Mr. or Ms. Universe, but it will make you feel better. 

Squat Every Day

You get up out of bed every morning. This is the perfect time to squat. If you’re not used to it, you’ll quickly find your gluteus muscles, hamstrings, and back are weak. Keep your feet about shoulder width apart, and as you squat, “sit back” onto your butt. 

The goal is to eventually be able to sit back and down far enough so that the crease in your hip breaks below your kneecap. In order to do this, you’ll have to lean forward a bit to keep your balance. It may initially feel strange, but you’ll get used to it. Start with 10 repetitions and work your way up to 100. It shouldn’t take you more than 10 minutes. 

Exercising doesn’t have to be a chore. In most cases, you can work it right into your daily routine. By moving around, you’ll get stronger and more flexible, feel better, and be healthier.