No time? No problem!

“I don’t have time to exercise” — the most common reason given for not exercising enough. If we all have 24 hours in a day, why then are only some people able to find the time for physical activity?

There’s no denying that finding time to exercise can be a challenge, especially for individuals balancing multiple roles as a worker, parent, housekeeper, student, or volunteer. With some procrastination at the start of the day or depleted energy levels at the end of the day, it’s no surprise that being active does not feature on the agenda very often.

Have you heard of non-exercise physical activity (NEPA)?

NEPA includes the calories spent outside of exercise, eating, and sleeping. Simple tasks such as raking leaves, physical labor, climbing stairs, and even fidgeting help us burn additional calories. Try these tips to harness the power of NEPA to increase your metabolic rate and burn extra calories without dedicating time to exercise.

1. Spring clean your home — you’ll be surprised how tiring vacuuming, sweeping, or mopping can become. As a bonus, your home will sparkle.
2. Increase your daily step count by walking the dog, taking the stairs instead of the elevator, walking to your local coffee shop, or parking further away from where you need to be. Read our dedicated article, One step at a time, for more step-boosting tips.
3. Wash your car or someone else’s. Not only can this be a fun activity with friends in the summer months, but you’ll work up quite a sweat, too.
4. Do some gardening — plant flowers or, better yet, herbs and vegetables. In time, you’ll be able to cook up a storm with your own produce.
5. Make your phone calls mobile and take a stroll around the block or your office space while you’re at it. You can even introduce walking meetings to your team.
6. Waiting for the kettle to boil? Do star jumps, squats, or push-ups. If you make multiple cups of coffee or tea in a day, this can quickly add up.
7. Use a standing desk to get your work done (your posture will thank you too).
8. Play games with your children. Hop-scotch, hide-and-seek, and charades are fun options.
9. Put on your favourite music and dance around the room. Grab a friend or your kids to join in on the fun too.
10. As a child, your parents probably told you to stop fidgeting. It seems they were wrong. Fidgeting is another way to increase your calorie burn without exercising. So, tap those feet or swing those arms. Just keep moving.

We all have days where we just can’t make time for exercise. On those days, use the power of NEPA to keep your metabolism burning.

Gabriella Florence | Sports Scientist