Finding time to move

“I don’t have time” is the most commonly cited obstacle, and it is real: a full schedule, children, commuting. But it often comes from picturing too big a task. We imagine an hour, a change of clothes, a journey. Yet ten minutes count.

Change the question #

Instead of “where do I find an hour?”, ask yourself: “what activity already exists in my day that I could stretch a little?” Time is not always found, it is diverted.

Some concrete ideas #

• Walk part of your journeys: get off a stop early, park further away.
• Use your lunch break for ten minutes outside.
• Move during dead time: on the phone, while the pasta cooks, while your child plays.
• Make small blocks: two lots of ten minutes are better than twenty minutes you will not do.
• Tie it to a fixed moment: after your coffee, before your shower.

For more everyday ideas, see Incidental activity: stairs and trips on foot.

If you work sitting down #

Breaks are your allies. Read Sedentary habits at the office and when working from home for ways to slip in movement without losing time.

Plan the fallback version #

A day overflows? Decide in advance on the minimum version: five minutes, a lap of the block, a few steps. It happens, even in reduced form. This rule matters more than any programme. To keep going over time, see Staying consistent through the first weeks.

What “20 minutes” means #

This figure is not a threshold to reach but an order of magnitude to make things concrete. If you only have five minutes today, those five minutes count. The WHO guidelines describe a long-term horizon, not an imposed starting point; they state that moving a little is better than not at all.

A small exercise #

Take your diary for the week. Spot three ten-minute moments that already exist: a journey, a break, an evening. Choose just one and try it.

For the big picture: Start exercising. To see where you are starting from: the sedentary lifestyle quiz.

This information is general and does not replace medical advice. If you have a chronic condition, if you are pregnant, or if you feel chest pain, unusual breathlessness or dizziness when exerting yourself, get medical advice before increasing the effort.