We’re all busy people in a busy world. Fortunately, practicing a healthy lifestyle has become more prominent and therefore more accessible in recent times. In Malaysia at least, there are classes that start as early as 6.30am and as late as 8.45pm, and a plethora of fitness centers all around KL and Selangor for your easy choosing.

However, if going for fitness classes or to the gym isn’t really your cup of tea, or maybe you just can’t find the time to go every day, then try exercises you can do by yourself, in the comfort of your home or even your office. For the people who feel like there isn’t enough time, yet want to improve their physical health, here’s five ways to squeeze in some daily exercise to a busy schedule.

Keep your body moving

Many of us have desk jobs which leave us rooted to the chair for many hours a day. As long as you don’t have any knee or joint problems, you can try to reduce the time spent sitting throughout your day. Some people find that taking a short walk in between work helps boost their focus and clarity, but this might not be suitable for everybody. At the least, just stand at your desk for a few seconds every 20-30 minutes to stretch those knee and hip joints. When taking a phone call, walking around to squeeze in a few steps is easy enough. Taking the stairs instead of the elevator falls into this category, too, and can add to the recommended 10,000 steps a day.

Short bursts of exercise

Ask any health and fitness expert, and they’ll tell you that consistency is key. Many times, we feel intimidated to exercise because it makes us think of all the effort that will be involved. But for the purpose of a daily routine, keep it as simple and light as possible, as long as it still makes you work a little. One example is to plank for 20 seconds a day for starters, and working your way up to one minute daily. Alternatively, consider things like 10 bicycle twists, or push-ups, or burpees, or squats. They won’t take more than five minutes and can be done without changing into gym gear. Every little bit helps.

Practice yoga at the office

If your job involves you being desk-bound, and you’re not quite at the treadmill desk level yet, check out these office yoga poses. They are thoughtfully designed to be doable in smallish spaces, and come in cute names like ‘Empty elevator stretches’ and ‘Late client stretch.’ You can buy the book from Amazon here.

Waiting time is for workouts

Whether you’re waiting for the onions to brown, or your green juice to be blended, spend those minutes of waiting time by doing something productive. In this case, working out. All it takes is less than two minutes to do some lunges, squats, or even pushups if you’re feeling like a challenge. However, please be careful if you’re moving about near your stove! It’s a good opportunity to squeeze in some burns without going too far away from whatever you’re doing.

Clean up and slim down

Unless you are a Marie Kondo graduate, there will always be things to tidy up in your office or at home on a daily basis. It could be as simple as doing the dishes, laundry, putting away your child’s toys, or even playing with your pet, if you’re lucky enough to have one. The simple act of bending down to pick something up and put it away can be a good stretch in itself. More vigorous tasks such as vacuuming, gardening, scrubbing the floors, and washing the car burn extra calories too!  We know it can be hard after a long day at work, but the few extra steps and stretches will go a long way.