SMART MOVES TO BEAT THE BULGE

Getting fit and earning extra activity Propoints doesn’t have to mean hours at the gym. By sneaking clever mini-moves into your daily routine, you can increase your activity levels and burn calories without even realising...

HOME IN ON FITNESS

While waiting for the kettle to boil, lunge forward with one leg, lowering your back knee towards the floor and dropping your body. Make sure your front knee doesn’t extend beyond your toes. Raise, and repeat with the other leg. Build up to 15 repetitions. Help tone the muscles in your bottom while you’re on the phone. With a cordless phone or mobile, you can pace about or walk up and down stairs while chatting.

Listen to your favourite music while doing housework. Research suggests the right music can increase athletic performance by as much as 20 per cent.

GETTING FIT CAN BE FUN TOO

Enjoy a 30-minute game of frisbee in the park, or work those arms by pushing a toddler on the swings.

Do wide-leg squats when weeding the garden instead of bending from the waist, which can cause back pain. Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart and point your toes out. Keeping your upper body stretched upwards, lower yourself to a 90° angle at the knees

Walking at a constant, brisk pace until you’re slightly breathless tones and strengthens the whole body. Next time you’re out walking, increase your pace and take in some hills to get your heart working and burn more energy in less time.

WORK OUT AT WORK

If your office is on the tenth floor, take the lift to the ninth and walk up the last flight of stairs. Then add more floors. Keeping a glass of water on your desk gives you two opportunities to move – one to fill the glass to keep your fluid intake up, the other to go to the loo!

Make sure your filing cabinet, fax machine and printer are as far from your desk as possible. Stand to take phone calls when you can or walk to a bathroom on another floor.