It can be really easy to stay healthy and fit without setting aside time to work out each day!
While many love that golden hour to sweat it out upon waking, this is not for everyone or every BODY! Nor is it necessary everyday. Keeping healthy and fit needs to be part of our lifestyle, so below I have listed a bunch of hacks to stay fit without working out.

These are all options easy to incorporate into your day. Clock up the steps and maintain consistency in your fitness efforts through theses incidental weekly routines.

10 Hacks To Stay Fit Without Working Out:

1.  Do you catch public transport to work? If so, walk to the bus stop a few stops closer to your work place! Aim for a distance at least 1 km away and then get off at this stop on the way home as well. 2 km easy peasy!!
2.  Is your workplace within walking or cycling distance 4-10km? Yes, then walk or cycle to work 1-2 days a week. I tell my clients to set a day, eg every Wednesday morning. This way it becomes more of a weekly routine and you will be more likely to maintain it.
3. In our house we food shop every couple of days and walk up to the shops. This adds surprisingly a decent amount of incidental activity despite the walk is only 5 minutes. Plus, the food we are eating is always fresh by shopping regularly.
4. Wake up and plank!! As soon as you get out of bed, find a spot and set your timer for 1-3 minutes. Use this plank as a form of mindfulness and this daily practice is both physically and mentally strength building.
5. Head to your local park daily to either walk the dog or just be in nature. You don’t have to be there for long however while you are, tick off 10x squats, push ups and tricep dips on a bench and some walking lunges along the path. 2 minutes done!!! And while this is not much, the accumulation over a week is significant.
6. Head out clothes shopping with friends! No joke, clothes shopping creates great energy output. Walking from shop to shop and getting undressed and dressed again… it’s a workout!! Now before your partners send me hate mail, due to the blow up of the credit card all with the justification of staying fit. I am not implying you need to spend money in clothes shops, just head out for a shopping date with a friend. When I go to Melbourne with girl friends for a shopping and foodie weekend, we clock around 12-14km in steps each day just by shopping!!!
7. The majority of phone calls I make are done while going out for a walk. These could be a social catch up with a friend or family member, or a work call. I find the walking allows for easy flowing conversation and it’s a wonderful opportunity to be outdoors and getting in extra steps!
8. I come back to this one often however I really believe in active catch ups with friends. Again a great way to incorporate movement, one on one time and to enjoy the outdoors. I have a lot of health focused friends so this is often a go-to. However, once I started to suggest this as an option to my not so health minded friends instead of drinks, it soon became what they would suggest as well. Give it a go!!
9. Then there are the obvious ones such as thinking about cleaning the house or the gardening as a movement session, rather than something you HAVE TO DO!
10. Many people struggle to stay fit when on holidays or traveling for work. This is the time however when you can be gaining fitness. Travel allows for lots of walking and if on holidays, exploring. Often you have a lot more time on your hands so it is also a great opportunity to head to the hotel gym, do a poolside workout, hire a bike and cycle around the area.

I suggest choosing 1 of these hacks to stay fit the days you are already going to a fitness class or have a set working out as a way to add extra movement. Then the days you are not, choose 2-3 incidental options!

My go- to’s are usually:

• My daily phone call, while also walking my dog to the park.
• My walk to the fruit and veg shop every few days.
• Walking to my yoga class 1-2x/ wk!
• I also aim to cycle to work one day a week and whenever heading to the city, get off the bus that few stops earlier.

These routines are automatic and effortless and honestly much of the reason I manage to stay fit despite currently not being able to work out that often! S

hare your hacks to stay fit by tagging #barevitality on Instagram!