Movement could help you live longer, studies show. Fit it into your day more easily with expert tips

By Kristen Rogers, CNN

(CNN) — You know the drill — exercise could help you feel better, prevent disease and live longer. But that knowledge may not always get you motivated enough to head to the gym. Whether you have “gymtimidation” or working out isn’t your thing — you can still start improving your health by making simple but powerful changes in how you move as you go about your usual routine.

Optimizing movement in your daily activities is a practice based on the concept of non-exercise activity thermogenesis, or NEAT, said Dana Santas, a certified strength and conditioning specialist known as the “Mobility Maker.”

“It includes all the movement we do throughout the day that isn’t part of a formal workout — things like walking to the kitchen, doing chores, standing instead of sitting, or even fidgeting,” Santas, a mind-body coach in professional sports, said via email. “These small actions can really add up and play a meaningful role in our daily energy expenditure and metabolic health.”

“But NEAT isn’t just about burning more calories — it’s also about how our bodies are built to move and function. From a mind-body perspective, all movement is significant,” said Santas, author of “Practical Solutions for Back Pain Relief.”

Americans spend around six to eight hours a day sitting, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Spending a lot of time sitting has been associated with a higher risk of premature death, heart disease, type 2 diabetes and obesity.

But you can counter being sedentary by becoming more aware of the ways you’re moving throughout your day and considering how to get more active in a way that works for you. “Frequent, varied movement through the day supports joint mobility, muscle health, bone density, circulation, mental focus, and even sleep,” she added.

That’s why Santas often encourages people to incorporate “movement snacks,” or short bouts of activity that break up long periods of sitting.

14 ways to move more

The more vigorously you do some of these activities, the better, said Nicholas Rolnick, a physical therapist based in New York City. You can track that with an accelerometer (a wrist-worn motion sensor) since it measures your heart rate, or by using the equipment-free “talk test,” which helps you gauge intensity according to your breathing and capacity for conversation during exercise.

1. While your food is heating up, do some squats or wall sits or take a lap around the office floor instead of just waiting there or scrolling through your phone. “Working on your lower extremity strength, getting your heart rate up — those are all things that will improve your physical fitness,” Rolnick said. “And when you get your heart rate up, your cardiovascular capacity (improves).”

If you want to improve your strength and endurance over time, try doing one squat every eight seconds and then, in a couple weeks, a squat every four seconds, Rolnick said. You can also gradually increase your ability to do wall sits by starting out with a small knee bend then moving to a full 90-degree sit over time.

2. When you’re running errands, park as far away from stores as possible. That can help add brief periods of activity to your schedule and increase your daily step count.

3. Better yet, walk or bike to nearby errands instead of driving. “What also is a nice secret weapon in running errands and doing these is wearing a backpack and putting in a couple of books or things,” Rolnick said. “That increases the workload that the legs and the heart have to do because the metabolic demands are going to be increasing.”

4. Skip the elevator and take the stairs. And if there is an escalator, walk up instead of letting it do all the work for you. Stair-climbing has been associated with improved body composition and lower levels of serum or blood lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides, Rolnick said.

You can maximize the benefits by skipping a stair or two, increasing your range of motion and the demand on your legs. The challenge improves strength and blood sugar control, he added. Climbing more than five flights of stairs at home per day has been associated with a 7% to 9% lower risk of all-cause mortality compared with not climbing stairs.

5. When you’re on the phone, walk around the block instead of sitting on the couch. Walking has been linked with a lower risk of diabetes, cancer, cardiovascular disease and dementia.

6. While enjoying your favorite show, get active at the same time. You can lift weights, squat, do other resistance exercises, or walk or run on a treadmill.

7. Invest in a standing desk and use it. Even if standing while working isn’t active movement, it still engages more muscles than sitting does. Desk-bound workers have been found to have a 16% higher risk of premature death from all causes and a 34% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, according to a 2024 study.

But you should still break up bouts of standing with movement breaks, a 2024 study based in Australia suggests. Standing for hours has been associated with greater odds of issues such as varicose veins or feeling lightheaded when standing.

8. Take your work meetings outside when possible. It’s another way to counteract the health harms of sitting for too long.

9. Use a desk treadmill or walking pad during your workday.

10. While you’re brushing your teeth, try some calf raises. If you have balance issues, practice the exercise on its own first and place your hand on the wall before attempting to multitask, Santas said. Alternatively, she likes doing squats or wall sits while brushing her teeth.

11. Carry your grocery purchases to your car instead of using a cart. “When you accumulate volume at even low intensities, you’re going to be able to improve your fitness,” Rolnick said.

12. If you already go on walks, increase your pace. A faster gait — defined in one study as more than 4 miles (6.4 kilometers) per hour — has been associated with a 40% lower risk of type 2 diabetes and improved cognitive health and mobility. You can also try adding a few walking lunges at various points during the walk, or step-ups on a curb or bench, Santas suggested.

13. Do your chores faster. By vacuuming more quickly, for example, you’re increasing the demand on your arms and legs and upping your heart rate, Rolnick said.

14. Set a timer and walk for five to 10 minutes every hour. Over the course of an eight-hour day, those exercise snacks amount to 40 to 80 minutes of walking, “even if it’s just something as simple as walking fast around the office,” Rolnick said. Studies have shown that 60 to 75 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity daily can lower the risk of premature death associated with lots of time sitting, he added.

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