10 Tricks to Up Your Exercise | Workout & Exercises slideshows | Physical activities center

Squats Whilst Boiling the Kettle

Can you really tone up your thighs and bottom whilst making yourself a cup of tea? Yep, of course, you can! When you flick the kettle on for a cup of tea, stand in your kitchen and brace yourself on the worktop. Plant your feet shoulder's width apart, slightly pointed outwards, tense your abs and bend your knees as though you were going to sit in a chair. Lower yourself down and slightly back so that your thighs are parallel with the floor, making sure that your legs and heels take your weight, hold for a few seconds, then move back up. Repeat until the kettle stops boiling.

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Photo courtesy of TownePost Network by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/atgeist/8282512578/
www.wikihow.com/Do-a-Squat

Leg Lifts at the Office

If you have a little time mid-afternoon whilst you're in the office, or if you're on hold waiting for someone to get back to you - never fear, as you can tone your thighs, calves and bottom by doing leg lifts against your desk or door. Hold onto the door handle or the edge of the desk and stand feet together. Raise one of your legs briskly, out to the side, and hold for 5-10 seconds. Lower back down but don't set on the floor and repeat 10 times. Repeat on the other side and keep going for as long as you can.

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Photo courtesy of David Boyle by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/beglendc/287503842/

Jogging On the Spot in Front of the TV

You can up your cardio exercise really simply and easily by jogging around on the spot in front of the television. When your favorite TV show comes on, get up off the sofa and start moving around, jogging on the spot in front of the television. Keep going until the ad break, then have a little rest until the show comes back on and repeat for as long as you can. If jogging isn't for you, consider jump rope - just make sure you have plenty of space around you so that the rope doesn't catch on furniture or on a ceiling fan.

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Get Your Gym Kit Ready

You're much more likely to get up and exercise rather than head straight to the office if your gym kit is ready in front of you. Make your gym kit the first thing you see when you wake up, so lay it out on a chair the night before. That way, you can just jump into it first thing in the morning without having to rummage around in your car or gym bag. Similarly, if you prefer to exercise at home, set up your fitness DVD or video game the night before so that all you have to do in the morning is press play.

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Photo courtesy of Dean Jarvey by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/28009451@N03/4385990305/

Plan, Plan and Plan Your Regime

The more you plan your fitness regime, the more likely it is that you'll stick to it. Schedule your exercise in your diary and plan out when you're going to exercise alongside your prior commitments - that way, you won't be able to use the excuse of "I'm too busy to exercise - I have that important meeting to go to" as you will have already planned your exercise slot. You can either plan out your exercise daily, or weekly, if you're particularly organized. The slots don't have to be huge, either - just 15 minutes here and there will do.

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Exercise With a Pal

Countless studies have shown that if you start exercising with a pal, you'll be much more likely to stick to a regime than if you were trying to go it alone. The camaraderie of exercising with a friend - being able to chat, have fun and compare notes means that you'll find yourself looking forward to exercise sessions instead of dreading them. Plus, if one of you tries to cancel or come up with an excuse for missing your exercise, you'll be jogged into getting up and going along - a great motivational booster!

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Photo courtesy of Mike Baird by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/mikebaird/2913348690/

Do Something Different (Swim Instead of Run)

Often, people quit exercise regimes because they're just plain bored. Maybe you go for a run everyday or for a swim twice a week and rarely do anything else. It can get boring - and because you find it boring, you might find yourself making excuses for why you can't exercise instead of thinking about why you can. Combat this by doing something different every now and then - a swim instead of a run, a game of dance instead of a trip to the gym or a fast and energetic game of tennis instead of walking the dogs. You'll work out different muscle groups and you'll always have something new to look forward to.

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Photo courtesy of Chris RubberDragon by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/rubberdragon/5982166125/

Visualize Where You Want to be

Perhaps one of the strongest - and easiest - ways to motivate yourself into exercising is to visualize where you want to be in terms of health, fitness and figure. Do you want to slim into a special party dress? Do you just want to feel fitter? Or do you want to have toned, slim arms? Think about what you want and then visualize it happening. Visualization can be incredibly beneficial - even better, if you have a photograph of someone you aspire to. If the photograph is of you at your slimmest or strongest, that works too!

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Photo courtesy of Ed Yourdon by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/yourdon/2625910143/

Circuit Train in Your Lounge

For a fast, effective cardio workout, set up a mini training circuit in your lounge. Have 8-10 "stations" and perform each exercise for 2-3 minutes. Because each exercise uses a short, sharp burst of energy, you'll burn off lots of calories and the whole circuit will be over in no time at all. Stations could include a skipping rope, jogging, stepping, weights, hula hooping, squats, leg lifting, kickboxing, punching and much, much more - and the great thing about it is that you can choose stations that suit your ability and exercise level.

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Photo courtesy of Mark Fosh by Flickr : www.flickr.com/photos/foshie/1463264187/

Distract Yourself By Chatting to a Friend

If you find exercising a little bit tricky simply because it can go on for so long, or because you find it a little bit boring, why not distract yourself by exercising with a friend? Chatting to a pal whilst you're on a walk or while going on a hike is a fantastic way to while away a few hours and you also don't have to worry about getting bored - plus, your friend will give you the motivation you need to keep going. It's a great way to forge strong friendships and an even better way to keep fit!