You’d be forgiven for thinking that the only way to get fit is by spending hours exhausting yourself at the gym. Our social media feeds are jam packed with subtle messaging that revolves around the idea that, to see big results, you need to set your alarm for 5AM, throw on your trainers and power through a heavy weights session, bleary-eyed but motivated.

But fitness doesn’t need to be confined to the four walls of a gym, and you don’t need loads of spare time to make it work. A recent 2024 study found that taking ‘exercise snacks’ – aka short but intense bursts of exercise throughout the day – can be just as effective as a continuous 45-minute workout for improving cardiorespiratory fitness.

In a similar vein of thinking, another study showed that people who did three brief bouts of activity per day, lasting just one or two minutes each, reduced their risk of all-cause mortality by 40% and significantly lowered their chances of developing cardiovascular disease.

If setting big exercise goals feels overwhelming right now, we get it – life is ridiculously busy, but you don’t need to press pause on moving entirely. Incorporating micro-workouts into your day might be the schedule-friendly solution you’ve been searching for. Wondering how to do it? Here are a few ideas to help you get started.

Invest in a standing desk

If you regularly find yourself slumped in an office chair or sat on a train for much of your day, you’re not alone. Thanks to the convenience of technology, our lives are more sedentary than ever.

But sitting for prolonged periods doesn’t just lead to a numb bum; it also poses serious risks for our health. Studies have linked it to an increased risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. One large review of research published in 2020 also found a clear association between high sedentary time (e.g. more than 10 hours a day) and an increased risk of early death.

Switching to a standing desk – which can raise and lower to a height that suits you – can help reduce the total time you’re sat down. It might not feel like much in the way of exercise, but changing your position aids with posture and keeps your body engaged throughout the day.

As an added bonus, if you generally rely on the office coffee machine to stay alert, studies estimate that 87% of those who switch to periods of standing report increased energy throughout the day.

Take walking meetings

The big issue with office-based work is that pretty much every activityrevolves around sitting, from taking your lunchbreak in the canteen to holding team meetings.

Instead of sitting around a stuffy boardroom, why not consider turning your next brainstorm into a walking one? A 2014 study from Stanford University found that walking, whether indoors or outside, boosts creative thinking by up to 60%.

Plus, walking meetings break up sedentary time and allow you to fit hitting your 10K steps into your work day without blocking out any extra time in the evening. Not only will you get your heartrate up, but you’ll also be able to ideate work-realted solutions more quickly. Talk about efficiency.

Lift weights in front of the TV

Parital to a Netflix and chill session? Your next binge watch doesn’t have to mean lying horizontally on the sofa for hours.

Research from the Journal of Environmental Public Health showed that breaking up sedentary time with short bursts of movement can increase feelings of energy and vigour and make a significant difference to your overall health.

Although the researchers focused on treadmill running, free weights can often be a more convenient way to workout at home. By simply grabbing a pair of dumbbells while you catch up on your favourite series, you can work on strengthening muscles and burn extra calories without sacrificing any downtime.

Try cycling through reps of overhead presses, bicep curls and tricep extensions. It’s an easy way to incorporate strength training into your day, with no weights room required.

Take the stairs (and sprint them if you can)

Are you guilty of always choosing the escalator or lift instead of the stairs? If you have the choice on your commute, us the stairs to your advantage for a quick early morning cardio burst.

Not only will you feel smug for taking the active route, but according to a 2019 study, just three 20-second bouts of stair climbing spread throughout the day can significantly improve cardiorespiratory fitness, even in previously sedentary people.

Of course, simply walking the stairs is good exercise and every little bit of movement counts, but if you can safely sprint up them, it’s a fast and effective way to get your heart rate up and build lower-body strength.

The other benefit to stair sprinting? It requires no special equipment – just some shoes with good grip and your own willingness to put in the effort.

Do push-ups while you wait for the kettle to boil

Even the smallest pockets of time can be opportunities for fitness. Instead of standing idly while you wait for the kettle to boil or your coffee to brew, try knocking out a set of push-ups in the kitchen.

Push-ups might seem like a basic exercise that only works your upper body, but when executed with the correct form, they’re actually one of the best full-body movements going, engaging the big muscle groups in your chest, core and back simultaneously.

What’s great about push-ups is that they’re a versatile exercise that can be modified to suit every fitness level. If the standard sets are too challenging for you, try doing them on your knees or against a wall to ease into the movement.

Or, for an added burn, you can elevate your feet or incorporate variations like diamond push-ups to target different muscle groups. Over time, these micro-workouts can add up to big results, turning tiny everyday moments into big fitness opportunities.