6 Simple Steps to an Active Lifestyle

Instead of thinking of your commute to work as a drag, get your commute working for you - working for your weight loss that is! Rather than driving to work, try walking, riding your bike or rollerblading, or simply park the car a few blocks away.

A brisk 15-minute walk to work and back each day means you'll accumulate 2.5 hours of walking each week. Over a year, this adds up to an extra 130 hours of exercise, which burns around 30,000 - 35,000 calories! Simply swapping your car for your walking shoes could mean the difference between maintaining your weight and gaining a few extra pounds over the year.

Make sure you've got a comfortable pair of shoes on. If you have to wear dress shoes to work, carry them in your bag or leave them at work to change into when you get there.

Rather than jostling for the parking place closest to the shopping center entrance or restaurant door, park the car farther away and enjoy a bit of calorie-burning leg-stretching. Bonus points for not taking the car at all, and walking or cycling there instead.

Need to make a trip on a bus or train? Instead of moaning about it, consider it a chance to do some extra unplanned exercise.

All you need to do is jump off one or two stops earlier and walk the rest of the way to your destination. A couple of block's walk could burn you an extra 45 calories. And of course, the farther and faster you walk, the more calories you'll burn.

Whenever you can, skip the elevator or escalator and take the stairs. Your heart will thank you, and so will your legs and behind. Walking up the stairs burns plenty of calories and tones muscles - just 10 minutes of walking up stairs burns 90 calories.

If you work on the 10th floor of an office building, give yourself a "good morning" challenge. Get out of the elevator one floor earlier every week and build up to climbing the whole way to the 10th level in 10 weeks. As well as the extra exercise, you'll get a nice endorphin-induced buzz. What a great way to start your day!

Get involved with your children’s activities – bike ride with them, play catch, shoot hoops, play baseball or soccer, dance, swim… anything that you all enjoy and that keeps you moving. You might end up having so much fun that you forget you’re exercising!

If you’re picturing yourself walking around the grocery store with a set of hand weights, relax, we’re not suggesting you start doing that! Simply choose a shopping basket over a shopping cart when you can, and you’ll automatically have a hand weight. As you shop and your grocery load builds up, your muscles will get a work out. Easy huh?

If you don’t think that the above calorie-burning examples really make any difference, how about thinking of it this way:

 * For a 154 lb person. Adjust figures for different body weights.

So remember the motto: move more, move more often, and move more rapidly – and you’ll be able to eat more of your favorite treats or lose weight a little faster!