Everyday activity

Everyday activity is movement that simply happens because you live your day actively: taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking to the shops, cycling to work or school, gardening, cleaning, cooking, romping around with the kids. You don't need a gym bag, a booked slot or a shower afterwards.

For your health, it counts in full: in its 2020 recommendations, the WHO makes clear that any activity of at least moderate intensity counts – whether it happens at a sports club or on the way to the bakery. Germany's National Recommendations for Physical Activity explicitly include 60 minutes of everyday activity, such as the journey to school, in the 90 minutes a day recommended for schoolchildren and teenagers.

For your energy balance, too, everyday life often matters more than that one hour of sport. Twenty minutes of brisk walking (about 4.3 METs) burns around 100 kilocalories for a person weighing 70 kilograms; build that into your journeys three times a day and you'll reach 300 – day after day. Experts call this share NEAT.

A few tried-and-tested ideas: get off the bus or train one stop early; leave the car at home for journeys under two kilometres; walk around while you're on the phone; always take the stairs; put the remote control away; go for a walk round the block after meals; walk alongside your children on their balance bikes or scooters instead of driving them.

The biggest advantage: once everyday activity has become a habit, it no longer depends on motivation. The walk to school isn't cancelled because it's raining – it simply happens. That's exactly why it's the most reliable form of exercise there is.