Missing Workouts? Here's How to Maintain Your Health and Energy
Busy with work, kids, and everything in between? Struggling to find even an hour a week for exercise? You're not alone, and you're not out of options.
Most doctors and personal trainers will advise you to incorporate regular workouts into your schedule. But what if your week genuinely looks like this: drop the kids off at daycare, commute to work, power through the day, grab a quick lunch at your desk, rush to pick up the kids, shuttle them to their activities, collapse into bed, and repeat? Finding a spare hour can feel impossible.
Here's the good news: you don't need that hour. What you need is incidental physical activity (IPA), which involves movement incorporated into the things you already do every day.
Why Daily Movement Matters More Than You Think
Most people in modern, car-dependent lifestyles walk only 4,000–7,000 steps a day. We drive to the office and the grocery store, take the elevator, and sit at a desk for eight hours. The result? Our bodies pay for it, regardless of whether we squeeze in a gym session.
What is essential to understand is that exercise and daily movement are not the same thing. Research shows that even people who work out three times a week can still suffer the metabolic consequences of a sedentary lifestyle if their daily activity levels are low. Sitting for extended periods raises the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and premature death, independently of how much you formally exercise.
The good news is that the reverse is also true. Studies show that walking 8,000–10,000 steps a day delivers health benefits comparable to structured exercise, even if that walking is spread across the day in small bursts. You don't necessarily need a gym, a trainer, or a free hour. You just need to move more during the life you're already living.
Why Sitting Is the New Smoking: The Hidden Dangers of a Sedentary Lifestyle
What's less known is that sitting itself is a separate health risk, one that exercise alone won't fix. Research shows that excessive sitting significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and even certain cancers, regardless of whether you work out.
What's happening inside your body when you sit for long stretches is more serious than most people realise. Prolonged sitting slows your metabolism, impairs how your body processes fats and sugars, reduces blood flow, and lowers insulin sensitivity. Over time, this chronic low-level harm adds up, and research now shows it can even accelerate biological ageing. However, small, consistent bursts of movement throughout the day are enough to interrupt these processes and protect your health.
What to Do to Increase the Daily Steps
There are many ways to incorporate more activity into your daily life, even if you don’t have time for regular exercise. Here are some that you can try:
- Walk to work or park your car further from your office.
- Get off the bus or train one or two stops before the destination
- Walk to your grocery store instead of driving
- Take walking meetings, a quick stroll with a colleague works just as well for most conversations
- Take your pet for a walk
- Take the stairs instead of the elevator
- Walk during phone calls, you're already on the phone, you might as well move
These might seem like very little changes, but these do add up when done on a daily basis.
Health Benefits of Walking
Walking tends to get underestimated because it doesn't feel hard. However, walking is a cardiovascular physical activity that has health benefits. Regular walking has been shown to:
- Lower blood pressure and cholesterol
- Reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes, stroke, and cardiovascular disease
- Improve sleep, including sleep quality, duration, and how quickly you fall asleep
- Support weight management over the long term
- Boost energy and reduce fatigue through improved circulation and endorphin release
- Lower the risk of premature death
The key is consistency. A brisk 15-minute walk to the store, stairs instead of the elevator, and a short stroll at lunch might not feel like much in the moment. But done daily, they accumulate into something significant for your health.
Use the Time You Have
You don't have to choose between a busy life and a healthy one. You just have to stop waiting for a free hour that may never come, and start using the time you already have.
Walk more. Take the stairs. Get off the bus early. These aren't consolation prizes for missing the gym; they're a legitimate, research-backed strategy for maintaining your health and energy, even on your busiest days.
References:
Harvard T.H.Chan. 2023. Walking for Exercise. Accessed: 26.2.2026. https://nutritionsource.hsph.harvard.edu/walking/
Reyes-Molina R., Zapata-Lamana R., Nazar G., Cigarroa I., Ruiz I., Parrado E., Losilla J., Celis-morales C., 2025. Conceptual and Evidence Update on Incidental Physical Activity: A Scoping Review of Experimental and Observational Studies. Accessed 26.2.2026.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11744493/#sms70015-bib-0001
Bull F., Al-Ansari S., Biddle S., Borodulin K., Buman M., Cardon G., Carty C., Chaput J., Chastin S., Chou R., Dempsey P., DiPietro L., Ekelund U., Firth J., Friedenreich C., Garcia L., Gichu M., Jago R., Katzmarzyk P., Lambert E., Leitzmann M., Milton K., Ortega F., Ranansinghe C., Stamatakis E., Tiedemann A., Troiano R., Ploeg H., Wari V., Willumsen J., 2020. World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviours. Accessed 26.2.2026.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33239350/
Cleveland Clinic. 2025. What a sedentary life can do to your health. Accessed 26.2.2026. https://health.clevelandclinic.org/sedentary-lifestyle
Harmon A., 2025. Sedentary Lifestyles. Accessed 27.2.2026. https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/health-and-medicine/sedentary-lifestyles