London

At work
Don’t make internal phone calls Why not walk over to the person you would have called?

For exactly the same reason, don’t send internal emails

Lift the bin up with your feet before putting litter in This works your thigh and lower abdominal muscles.

Go through regular doors rather than the automatic ones Pushing the door recruits your triceps (back of the arms), shoulders and chest muscles.

If your chair has castors, use it to move around the office Sitting upright and pulling with the balls of the feet is a great hamstring toner.

Don’t keep a bottle of water on your desk Walk back and forth to the cooler.

Changing the water container works the chest when the bottle is hugged, the thighs and lower back when it’s picked up, and the abs throughout.

Feature continues

Getting around
Stand rather than sit when travelling on the tube or train, and try to balance without holding on tightly to a strap or handrail. Just ‘roll’ with the movement. This is a good workout for the core stability muscles that girdle your lower spine, and can help to prevent lower-back pain.

On the bus, always climb up to the top deck It’s a good, intense workout for your legs.

Pace up and down the platform when your train’s late and you’ll burn six calories per minute.

Use a small-wheeled, collapsible bike for your commute The wheel size means it’s harder work to move, plus you have to carry it around. Riding a regular-sized bike at 12mph burns nine calories per minute.

Don’t wait for the bus Stride out to the next stop – six calories burned for every minute walked, plus a gentle workout for the core stability muscles and the external obliques (sides of the abs) when you twist round to see where the bus is. And maybe a sprint when it arrives!

If you have to drive, park at the top of the multi-storey car park then walk down the stairs (four calories per minute) and back up again later (ten calories per minute).

When the traffic lights are red, pull in your tummy muscles and clench your buttocks Hold until the lights turn green – it’s a great trick for firming your bum.

Walking
Carry your paper and bottles to the recycling station Every minute you walk will burn six calories – far more if the load is heavy.

Carry your baby in a sling or backpack You will burn around 20 per cent more calories than using a pushchair. The core muscles around your lower spine are recruited, too, so that you remain firmly upright.

Walk down escalators This burns four calories per minute, a figure that increases if you lower your legs more slowly.

Walking up escalators is a good form of resistance work which burns around ten calories per minute. If you go up two steps at a time it’s particularly beneficial for the gluteal muscles of your bum.

Always use the stairs instead of the lift As well as burning an extra ten calories per minute, you will work your abductor muscles at the side of the thighs when you turn at the tops of landings.

Walk off-road Harder surfaces instantly ‘return’ energy to the feet whereas softer surfaces don’t, making walking harder.

Out shopping
Carry a basket instead of using a trolley at the supermarket. This recruits the shoulder, upper and lower arm muscles, and challenges your core stability.

Make frequent walking trips to the supermarket and try to restrict your big visits by car. You’ll burn 200 calories for every mile that your supermarket is away from home.

Be forgetful! If you always have to ‘go back to get something’, you’ll burn an extra six calories per minute for the walking.

At the pub
Even if it’s not your round, help carry the drinks from the bar and burn six calories per minute. Raising yourself from your seat will work all the muscle groups in your legs.

Play a few games of darts and boost your hand-eye coordination as well as the calorie-burning effect of walking to and from the board.

A game of snooker or pool will get you bending over the table to line up and make each shot, boosting your flexibility and helping to justify that pint.

Extracted from ‘365 Ways to Get Fit’, by Andrew Shields in association with Sport England (Collins & Brown, £7.99).