This week, let's take the focus off of structured exercise and take a closer look at daily activity all day long. The thing to realize is that our bodies benefit both from structured exercise, and from moving more and sitting less during the course of the day. Even if we exercised for a whole hour every day, it's a good idea to take a closer look at what we're doing for the other 23 hours. Think about how much time you spend at the computer or in the car, and how much time the kids watch TV and play video games. Too much sitting or lying around is definitely not what the doctor ordered!

Week Four Activity

Active all day long: What's the benefit of moving during the day? Let's say your body burns about one calorie per minute while sitting. (It may be a little more or less than that depending on body size. It's certainly less than that for kids.) The minute you stand up, you will be burning 50% more calories than you are when sitting. You may be saying, “1.5 calories per minute instead of 1 calorie per minute – big deal” but think about how that adds up over the hours of the day. How to Add More Steps to Your Day

• Invest in a pedometer. It's a great little gadget that will raise your awareness of how active you are throughout the day. The kids will love it too and there are very inexpensive ones available.
• The “goal” is to take 10,000 steps a day (yes, ten thousand !). A fair estimate of the average number of steps a person takes a day is between 3,000-6,000 and getting up to 10,000 per day will take some deliberate effort. But to combat the all-or-none mindset, remind yourself that it doesn't have to be 10,000 or nothing. You can try wearing a pedometer for a day to get a baseline, and then try to bump it up by just 500 steps to start. Hold it there for a week and then gradually try to add more and more. You may be at 10,000 steps before you know it!
• If you walk your kids to the bus stop every day, make a habit of taking a lap around the block after waving goodbye to the bus.
• If you work during the day, commit to always taking the stairs while you're there.
• If you've got preschoolers or younger, go for a little stroller walk on the way to the playground, rather than going straight there. (Bring a special healthy snack that you save just for your walks together.)
• Make a game of moving up and down the stairs at home. Rather than piling a bunch of stuff at the base of the stairs to be brought up later, go ahead and get in the habit of going up and down the stairs every time something needs to be delivered.

Here's what you do: First, pick at least one of the bullet items above and write it on your calendar to do. Next, try this fun fitness game with the kids and don't forget to block off three times this week to do it. I call it Fitness Circus Time – my kids love to play circus! They loved it when they were toddlers and they still love it now that they are school-aged.

A great prop is a large, inflated exercise ball, but if you don't have one you can use any ball. In our house, we make some funny music sounds and take turns being the emcee: “Announcing the great and amazing [child's name]!” Each child gets a turn being creative and active as he jumps around and perform “tricks” with the ball or other props.

Results: By the end of week four, you and your kids may really be hitting your stride, feeling as though these workouts are getting to be part of your household routine. Bravo! A few hundred more calories burned and you may even have more energy.

I hope all goes well for you to meet your goals this week. You can do it! See you next week.

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Get more exercise ideas in our 20-Minute Park Workout and Stretching guide. Plus, get tips on finding time to exercise.