If you are one of the many parents that are having a hard time carving out time for exercise, you are not alone. Most of us juggle more things than we can handle. Often it is not that we do not want to exercise, but that we really don’t have the time or more importantly, energy, for it. We often fall into the trap of thinking that if we do not carve out an hour or two, we are not exercising.

This simply is not true. We have become such a sedentary society that we have needed to create large spaces to congregate and "run" or tone muscles. However, our ancestors simply got exercise by being active in daily life. Since most of us are not working on a field or walking to town on a daily basis, we can add a few things along the way to help us. One way to get some extra mobility during the day is to add exercise into already established routines, bringing activity - in its true sense of the word - back into daily life.

You've probably heard the first few before, but don't stop there - some of the best ideas here are further down the list.

1. Ride your bike to work


2. Take the stairs instead of the elevator (yes, within reason!)


3. Park your car in the furthest spot from the store


4. Go upstairs twice or three times next time you need something


5. Walk anywhere instead of driving if it is within reasonable distance


6. Take your meetings or coffee dates "on the run", or walk


7. Stay mobile while on that conference call provided you do not need to be in front of a desk


8. If sending email within your own office, get up and deliver the message in person


9. Kids get up early? Go out for a morning walk before we lose that a.m. sun!


10. Stretch for 10 minutes upon awakening


11. Do 10 or 20 pushups (full or modified) before your shower


12. Do abdominal exercises and kegels while at a computer, nursing, building blocks, driving... get the picture?

Some of these options involve a "multitasking" approach, but others just change the way we do things. I do believe in slowing things down, not piling things on, but sometimes reality takes over. Finding ways to make activity the norm, not the exception, is a great place to start fitting fitness into your daily routine.

If you face the same challenges I do in finding time to exercise, I want to hear from you! What do you do to help keep yourself active throughout your daily activities?