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Most of us know that exercise is good for our health. But staying active doesn’t necessarily mean going to the gym, running five kilometres, or following a complicated workout program.
One of the simplest things you can do for your health is to move your body more throughout the day.
Walking, taking the stairs, working around the house, gardening, playing with your kids, and simply getting up from your chair more often all count. These small amounts of movement can add up over the course of a day and help keep your muscles, joints, and spine moving well.
The goal isn’t to exercise all day. It’s to spend less time being still and find simple ways to make movement part of everyday life.
Why Is Daily Movement Important?
Our bodies are designed to move.
Regular physical activity helps maintain muscle strength, joint mobility, balance, coordination, and cardiovascular health. It can also help us maintain our ability to perform everyday activities as we get older.
The problem is that modern life makes it remarkably easy to stay still.
Many of us sit while commuting, sit at work, sit while eating, and then sit again while watching television or using our phones in the evening. Even someone who exercises several times per week can still spend a large portion of the day sitting.
That’s why I encourage my patients to think beyond “exercise” and consider how much they move during the entire day.
1. Walk Whenever You Can
Walking may be one of the easiest ways to add more movement to your day.
You don’t necessarily need to set aside an hour for a long walk. Look for smaller opportunities:
- Walk for 10 or 15 minutes after a meal.
- Park farther from the entrance.
- Walk to a nearby store instead of driving.
- Take a short walk during your lunch break.
- Walk while talking on the phone.
- Take the dog for an extra trip around the block.
Several shorter walks throughout the day still count.
If you’re starting from a relatively inactive lifestyle, don’t worry about achieving a particular number of steps immediately. Start where you are and gradually increase how much you move.
2. Break Up Long Periods of Sitting
Sitting isn’t inherently bad. The bigger problem is often staying in one position for too long.
If you work at a desk, try changing positions regularly. Stand up, walk around the office, refill your water, or take a short movement break.
You don’t need an elaborate stretching routine every time you stand up. Sometimes simply changing position and moving for a couple of minutes is enough.
Instead of searching for one “perfect” posture and trying to hold it all day, give your body some variety.
3. Use Everyday Activities as Exercise
Physical activity doesn’t have to look like exercise.
Cleaning the house, carrying groceries, mowing the lawn, shovelling snow, gardening, climbing stairs, and doing home projects all require movement.
Rather than thinking of these activities as chores separate from exercise, recognize that they are opportunities to use your body.
This is particularly helpful for people who don’t enjoy gyms or structured exercise programs.
Find ways of moving that fit naturally into your life.
4. Maintain Your Strength
Moving more is important, but we also need to challenge our muscles.
We naturally tend to lose muscle mass and strength as we get older, particularly if we don’t give our muscles a reason to remain strong.
Strength training doesn’t have to mean bodybuilding or lifting extremely heavy weights. Depending on your ability, it might include body-weight exercises, resistance bands, free weights, machines, or carrying and lifting things during everyday activities.
Aim to regularly use the major muscle groups of your legs, hips, back, chest, shoulders, and arms.
Strength helps us continue doing the things we enjoy as we age.
5. Choose Activities You Actually Enjoy
The best exercise program isn’t necessarily the most sophisticated one.
It’s the one you’ll continue doing.
Maybe you enjoy walking, hiking, cycling, swimming, running, golfing, dancing, gardening, weight training, yoga, recreational sports, or simply being outdoors.
If you hate your exercise routine, you’re much less likely to maintain it.
Choose activities you enjoy and make them part of your normal week.
6. Don’t Try to Do Too Much Too Soon
One of the common mistakes I see is someone becoming motivated and suddenly doing much more activity than their body is accustomed to.
The result can be sore muscles, irritated joints, or an injury that stops them from exercising altogether.
Your body needs time to adapt.
If you haven’t been active recently, start gradually. Increase your walking distance, exercise intensity, resistance, or activity time over several weeks rather than trying to make up for months or years of inactivity in a few days.
Consistency is more important than intensity.
7. Keep Moving as You Get Older
It’s easy to assume that becoming less active is simply part of aging.
Some changes are unavoidable, but inactivity itself can contribute to losing strength, mobility, balance, and confidence.
That’s why continuing to move becomes increasingly important as we get older.
The goal isn’t necessarily to move the way you did when you were 25. The goal is to maintain as much strength, mobility, and physical independence as possible throughout your life.
Movement Doesn’t Have to Be Complicated
When people think about improving their health, they sometimes assume they need to completely change their lifestyle.
Usually, I would rather see someone make small changes they can maintain.
Walk a little more.
Sit a little less.
Use the stairs.
Carry your groceries.
Work in the yard.
Lift something moderately heavy.
Get outside.
Play with your kids or grandchildren.
Keep doing activities you enjoy.
Over months and years, those seemingly small choices can make a meaningful difference.
Your body was designed to move. Give it opportunities to do so every day.
What If Pain Is Keeping You From Moving?
Pain can make people understandably hesitant to exercise or stay active.
Sometimes a short period of modifying an activity is appropriate. But avoiding movement indefinitely can also lead to decreased strength, mobility, and confidence.
If pain keeps returning, isn’t improving, or is preventing you from doing normal activities, it may be worth having the problem assessed rather than simply avoiding the movement.
As a chiropractor in Edmonton, one of my goals is to help patients understand what may be limiting their movement and help them return to the activities that are important to them.
You don’t have to wait until you are in significant pain to pay attention to how your body is moving.
Taking care of your body and staying active are habits worth maintaining throughout your life.
Frequently Asked Questions
There isn’t one perfect amount of movement for everyone. Your age, health, fitness level, occupation, and current activity all matter. A good starting point is to reduce long periods of inactivity and look for opportunities to walk and move throughout your day.
Absolutely. Walking is one of the simplest forms of physical activity and can be an excellent way to increase your daily movement, particularly if you have been relatively inactive.
Regular exercise is beneficial, but it is still a good idea to break up prolonged periods of sitting. Think about both your structured exercise and how much you move during the rest of your day.
There isn’t one best exercise. Ideally, your activities should help you maintain cardiovascular fitness, strength, mobility, and balance. Walking combined with some form of regular resistance exercise can be a practical foundation for many people.
It depends on the cause and severity of the pain. Some conditions benefit from continued movement or modified activity, while others may require a temporary change in what you’re doing. If pain is significant, keeps returning, is getting worse, or is limiting normal activities, consider having it assessed before pushing through it.
Small Changes Add Up
You don’t need a complicated exercise program to become more active. Start with small changes you can realistically maintain – walk a little more, sit a little less, use your muscles regularly, and find activities you enjoy.
The important thing is to keep moving. What you do consistently over months and years matters much more than what you do occasionally.
Moving well is one of the five simple habits I encourage as part of my Healthy Habits for a Healthier Life approach. Along with better positions, proper rest and recovery, eating well, and addressing problems early, regular movement can help you stay strong, mobile, and active throughout your life.
If pain, stiffness, or an old injury is making it difficult to stay active, consider having it assessed. At Collins Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre in Edmonton, my goal is to help you move comfortably and continue doing the things that are important to you.
About Dr. Dean Collins
Dr. Dean Collins has been helping Edmonton patients improve their health through chiropractic care since 1998. With over 30 years of clinical experience, he has worked with patients of all ages, helping them reduce pain, improve mobility, and maintain healthier, more active lives. At Collins Chiropractic Health & Wellness Centre, Dr. Collins focuses on identifying the underlying causes of pain and dysfunction while providing personalized care, education, and practical strategies to support long-term health and wellness.
For more information on how chiropractic care could help you, your family, or friend read our complete guide to chiropractic care.
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