We know that keeping active as a part of our daily lives has a huge range of benefits – from balancing our mental well being and busting stress to managing our weight and preventing disease. In fact, it’s probably the single most important change you can embrace in your life. But sometimes, really making a change into an active lifestyle seems hard. We lead hugely busy working lives, and with other commitments like family and social activities, it can be easy to wonder where you’re going to find the energy or time fit it all in.

The truth is that becoming more active isn’t just about signing up to your local running club or turning up to a spin class once a week. It’s a change to your mindset, where you no longer see fitness as one more thing to tick off your to-do list, but a gift you give to yourself and a commitment which has the power to make positive fundamental shifts. These tips will help you get started on your journey to a more active lifestyle.

Make It Enjoyable

Finding a range of activities that you personally enjoy is half the battle when it comes to maintaining an active lifestyle. It’s far easier to stick to regular patterns if you are gaining enjoyment – not just from the results but from the activity itself. Some people find that group activities like Pilates classes or joining a running club work well, as they like the company of others to motivate them. But others find more fulfilment from solo activities where they can unwind and exercise on their own. Challenge yourself to do a taster session of several different activities to find a mix that sits well with you.

Move More Everyday

One of the simplest changes we can make to become more active is to incorporate more walking into our daily lives, with the aim of achieving 10,000 steps per day. Think about how you can fit it in to your life. Is it possible to leave the office and take a walk at lunchtime instead of sitting down? Are you able to start walking to work instead of automatically hopping in the car? And can you add a quick after dinner walk into your daily routine?

Choose Activities To Suit Your Lifestyle

There are so many active hobbies to choose from, but it is important to make sure that the ones you choose are compatible with your physical abilities, amount of free time and budget. Some pursuits require a significant investment, such as scuba diving, and trips away from home. Other things, like yoga, use barely any equipment and can even be done in your own living room if you can’t make it to a class. If you do find something you love which needs a lot of kit, don’t throw money at it until you’re sure you’re going to be doing it regularly. If you suddenly discover a love of golf, try hiring clubs or shopping pre-owned ones through your golf club or local listings. Then, I you do decide to go ahead, find a specialist equipment site like rockbottom golf which offers steep discounts on retail prices.

Make It Social

If you have concerns about fitting in enough exercise and your social commitments, why not combine the both? Instead of just meeting a friend for coffee, could you do some circuits at the gym together and then go for a fresh-pressed juice? Could you take your nieces and nephews swimming instead of automatically heading to the ice-cream parlour? Could you take up a Sunday morning jog with your partner? Involving family members in our active lifestyles can be extremely rewarding and means that you get to spend quality time together and invest in your health at the same time, plus you can help to motivate each other.

Keep Some Equipment At Home

While not all of us have the budget to kit out a home gym, we can keep a few simple items of equipment at home. This means that when bad weather spoils our outdoor plans, or we find ourselves with fifteen minutes, we can fit in a  quick at-home workout. Good items to get are a skipping rope, an inflatable exercise ball, a resistance band or a kettlebell. They don’t take up much space and can be used for a big range of exercises. If you have the equipment ready to go, you’re much more likely to fit in a quick session.