10 easy ways to boost your fitness levels

Too busy to hit the gym? Don’t fret! Here are some nifty ways to get fit without making drastic changes to your daily routine.

• Stretch in the morning

  A few minutes of stretching early morning improves posture, reduces aches and pains, increases blood circulation, and keeps you active and energised throughout the day.

• Walk your dog

Taking your dog for a walk gives you more than eight hours of exercise a week, according to a study by the UK-based pet care company Bob Martin.

• Eat healthy

Giving up processed foods and including more fruits, vegetables, eggs, lean meat, dairy products, whole grains in your diet cuts down the risk of chronic diseases like diabetes, blood pressure and cancer.

• Take the stairs

The number of calories burnt while climbing stairs is only exceeded by strenuous activity like sprinting and lugging heavy weights.

• Deskercise

Need to send a message to a colleague? Walk over to him/her instead of using the intercom. Need to read a report? Do it standing up. Try not to chain yourself to the desk for all time you spend in the office. And find time to do some exercises or yoga poses at your desk. Avoid long hours of sitting, as sitting is the new smoking!

• Fidgeting is good

Your high school teacher may have detested the habit, but fidgeting is good for you from a health perspective. Studies have found that people who fidget at their desks reduce damage to their health caused by sitting for prolonged periods of time.

• Run errands

Need to go to the bank or the local market? Leave the car behind. Make your steps count while doing your errands—it will help you save on fuel costs as well as raise your fitness levels.

• Meet a friend over a game

Instead of meeting a friend at a coffee shop, schedule a meeting on the golf course or the local tennis club. It will make the encounter fun while allowing you to pack in some much-needed physical activity.

• Play with children

Playing with your kids not only allows you to spend quality time with them but also burns calories.

• Sleep well

Getting a good night’s sleep helps you deal better with stress, improves memory, stimulates creativity, helps maintain a healthy weight and keeps depression at bay.

So get started and re-resolve to lose your weight. Kick things off by taking these re-resolutions.

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