How to Incorporate 15 Minutes of Exercise into Your Routine

Exercise helps stimulate the body, regulates weight and even boosts a person's mood, but many of us are missing out on the benefits of exercise as we cannot find a window of opportunity in our busy schedules. But even brief 15-minute exercise sessions each day can make a difference and spur you on to greater achievements.

Cycle or Walk to Work

If you live close to work, but are used to driving 5 minutes each way an easy way to incorporate more exercise into your daily routine is to cycle or walk to work. Not only will you save on fuel costs and the stress of being stuck in traffic jams each day, but you will also feel rejuvenated and ready to get going, rather than sluggish, once you arrive at work.

Get Off the Bus Sooner

Commuting by bus saves you the trouble of driving into crowded cities and dealing with road rage. But if you are trying to fit in some daily physical activity without giving up your daily bus rides, get off the bus one or two stops earlier and walk for the rest of the way to your destination.

Use Your Exercise Bike

When you first bought your exercise bike (also known as a stationary bike), you probably had good intentions with the goal of using the bike for an hour at a time. But over time, an exercise bike can be forgotten in the conservatory or spare bedroom, as other things start to take over. An exercise bike is great to have on hand if it is too hot, rainy or cold to ride a bike outside. Watch a video or listen to music as you start peddling away, while dinner is cooking. Before you know it, you will soon have your 15 minutes of exercise in, perhaps even more!

Get Gardening

Light gardening can help to burn calories and get your blood circulating, so pull out the garden rake and rake up the leaves, mow the lawn with a push mower or take care of other jobs around the garden that need to be done. When you are gardening, 15 minutes will soon fly by.

Physical activity can be incorporated into the busiest of schedules. You just have to find an opening. Easy ways to get in 15 minutes of exercise each day include cycling or walking to work, getting off the bus sooner, using an exercise bike at home and gardening. All of these activities are fairly low impact and can be accomplished by young and old alike.