By Francis L. Battisti, MSW, LCSW, BCD

A health club with exercise machines, aerobics routines and even jogging routine are great ways to burn calories, get fit, increase stamina, and gain strength. But they aren’t the only ways to work out. To overcome the inertia of a sedentary lifestyle, a gradual approach is a great way to begin.

One way to start is to identify those parts of your regular day that are inactive, and replace those with movement, gradually increasing the intensity over time. Exercise that doesn’t feel like a workout can increase your motivation as you enjoy the sensation of moving your muscles.

This also works if you’ve stopped exercising for a period of time, if you find yourself in a slump, or are going through a busy time where regular workouts aren’t possible.

Five approaches to start moving

1. Make a date with yourself: Write down your exercise time on your calendar, even if you’re “just” going for a walk. Treat it like an important meeting that you can’t cancel.

2. Make a date with someone else: Get a friend or partner to work out with you, or make an appointment with a personal trainer. It’s much harder to disappoint a friend or professional who has set aside a specific time for you than it is to cancel on yourself.

3. Work off your stress: Vent your frustration in a kickboxing class or with a HIIT workout or run. Think of every single thing that irritates you and release it as you exercise.

4. Start small: Tell yourself you’ll only exercise for 15 minutes; then stop.

5. Get steamed: Reward your workout by enjoying the amenities of a health club or your own bath. Schedule a massage, hang out in the Jacuzzi, sauna or steam room. Luxuriate in a hot bath or shower with your favorite music, scented candles and the best soap you can afford. Turn up the music and sing at the top of your lungs. Have fun!

50 ways to get more exercise

1. Take the stairs instead of the elevator.
2. Park further away and walk more.
3. On buses or subways get off a stop or two early and walk.
4. Take a walk instead of a coffee break.
5. Start an exercise (walking, yoga, workout) group where you work.
6. Plant or weed a garden.
7. Turn off the TV and move around from room to room.
8. Put on some music and dance.
9. Buy an exercise video and use it.
10. Go to your co-worker’s offices instead of using e-mail or the phone.
11. Rake the leaves into piles and jump into them, then rake them again.
12. Mow the lawn with a manual push mower.
13. Shovel the snow from your driveway and then your neighbor’s.
14. Vacuum the entire house.
15. Clean out the closets or the garage.
16. Rent a carpet steamer and do it yourself.
17. Wash all your windows.
18. Jump rope or jog while watching TV.
19. Make phone calls standing up.
20. Play catch, Frisbee, tag or touch football with the kids.
21. Play miniature golf.
22. On the golf course, don’t use a golf cart.
23. Go bowling.
24. Wash and wax your car.
25. Wash all the floors in your home.
26. Chop firewood, and stack it up by the fireplace.
27. Join the mall walkers.
28. Buy groceries at a big warehouse store and pack your own bags.
29. Scrub the kitchen and bathroom by hand.
30. Take dance lessons or go dancing (square dancing, salsa, tango).
31. Start a pick-up basketball game.
32. Take the kids (or grandkids) to the park and push them on the swings.
33. Go horseback riding.
34. Try snow-shoeing or cross-country skiing.
35. Walk the dog, or take it for a run.
36. Join a volleyball league.
37. Splash around in the swimming pool like a kid.
38. Buy a Styrofoam noodle and take it into the pool.
39. Paint your home.
40. Help a friend move.
41. Go for a hike and enjoy the views.
42. Row a boat, canoe or kayak.
43. Re-arrange the furniture in your home.
44. Hold a picnic and have relay races, three-legged potato sack, tug-of-war, play badminton.
45. Take a petition for a worthy cause around your neighborhood for signatures on foot.
46. Buy a bicycle or rent a city bike.
47. Take a yoga class in person or online.
48. Play games with your kids, like hoola hoop, jump rope, hide-and-seek.
49. Pick your own fruit at a local you-pick-it farm.
50. Go rollerskating or Rollerblading.

Exercise doesn’t have to feel like work. Gradually replace sedentary activities with ones that involve more movement.  Many enjoyable past-times can become motivation for getting and staying in shape.

About the Author

Francis L. Battisti, LCSW, BCD, is the CEO of Battisti Network, a consulting firm specializing in individual and organizational transformation and life enhancement. He is a clinical social worker in private practice and professor of psychology and human services at the State University of New York – Broome Community College Campus, where he was the recipient of the State of the State University of New York Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.