by Michael Smoker

Created on: September 19, 2010

Some people don't have time for a formal workout. A formal workout is when a person devotes a block of time, one or two hours or possibly longer, to nothing other than exercise. Many people have too much to do and too many responsibilities to give up such large chunks of time. They can still, however, fit exercise into their schedule if they approach exercise not as something to be done separately from the rest of life, but as an organic part of the rest of life. Here are some well-established ways to work exercise into your life without having it eat up valuable time:

Walk instead of driving, getting rides, or taking public transit

Research has shown that people of all fitness levels can walk indefinitely if they pick the right walking speed. Those who are more fit can walk briskly, jog, or even run, while those who are not fit can walk slowly, and both groups can keep it up nearly forever. Even a slow walk burns calories, although it doesn't elevate your heart rate. If a destination such as the office, the store, or a friend's home are a mile or less away, most people can walk there in about 20 minutes without becoming tired or sweaty. Your feet may start to hurt, but that can be minimized by wearing sensible, flat-soled shoes that fit well. You can also walk recreationally, such as when taking small children to the park. Even slowing down to match the child's pace is still exercise.

Take the stairs

Fitness experts have been encouraging people to take the stairs rather than escalators or elevators for decades. In most cases, an escalator doesn't move much faster than a walking person, and when you take into account time spent waiting for an elevator, taking the stairs is actually faster. Taking the stairs can be done at work when you need to go to a different floor, at multi-storey malls, at public transit facilities, and nearly any other place that offers stairs as an alternative. Going down stairs also gives you exercise, although not as much as going up them. Some people arrive at their work and climb 15 or 20 floors to their office every morning, but when starting out, try climbing one or two floors at first and then adding more floors as your legs get stronger and your fitness level improves. If you just climb and descend one or two floors several times a day, you will burn significant calories and enhance heart health without getting too tired or sweating significantly.

Use a bicycle for transportation when it's feasible

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