Whether you are a weekend warrior or a seasoned veteran athlete, spring and summer are usually the times of year you vow to get more active.
 
Life gets busy, and when it does, our exercise intentions are usually one of the first things to go by the wayside. Here are some simple steps you can take to increase your activity every day even when life gets hectic.
 

1. When possible stand up at work and alternate between standing/sitting throughout the day.
2. Take work breaks by leaving your desk to get mail, go to the printer, make or take a call. You will be more productive if you get your circulation moving on a regular basis.
3. When on a phone call, leave your desk (if possible) and stroll around the office OR do a set of lunges or squats by your desk.
4. Take scheduled stretch breaks and especially stretch the neck and shoulder areas. Try to work on your posture by keeping your shoulders back and relaxed.
5. Use a pedometer. Keeping track of your steps may help you to take more steps. Slowly increase your steps by 1,000 a week and aim for a minimum of 10,000 steps per day.
6. Take the stairs and give the elevator the day off. Taking the stairs may not feel easy, but your breathing will improve as you take them on a regular basis. Start with one flight, then two, etc.
7. Avoid parking in the spots that are closest to your point of destination; but be safe and smart about it, too.
8. While watching TV, exercise and stretch during commercial breaks. If you skip over the commercial breaks, march in place, do yoga, planks, push-ups or squats during your favorite TV shows. Treadmills, ellipticals or bikes are great in-home machines to use while watching TV.
9. Clean your house. You can get some exercise washing windows, raking the yard and scrubbing floors.
10. Spend time with family and friends that involves physical activities: toss the football or Frisbee, swim, go for walk, or meet to play tennis or golf. Surround yourself with people that like to be active or you can be the trend setter. Soon they will get used to your passion for being active and choose to follow your lead.
11. Commit to stretching or a yoga practice every day, or as often as you can. Increasing your activity means doing what is right/feels good for your body and mind. Make it work for you.

Being active doesn't have to be difficult; however it does need to be part of your everyday lifestyle.