The importance of physical activity cannot be understated, as studies have consistently demonstrated that regular exercise is a major factor in extending life spans and ensuring better health and wellbeing later into life.

You don't have to sign up for a gym membership to make sure you get enough exercise, though this is a suitable option for many people. Instead, you may benefit from making more subtle changes to your daily habits and routines that will increase the amount of low-intensity exercise you undertake, as well as lowering your risk of developing serious medical conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

If you work in an office, taking the stairs rather than the lift can be a highly effective way to ensure you receive more exercise on a daily basis, and you should soon become used to the activity with practice. If you work on a high floor that makes it impractical or overly challenging to take the stairs all the way, you could try pushing yourself to tackle at least a few floors before taking the lift the rest of the way. A related technique to increase the distance travelled by foot to and from work is to park a little further away from the entrance, or park further from your home.

Combining physical activity with household chores can be a great way to enjoy double benefits, as cleaning your home using a vacuum and brushes can be a good workout in itself. Similarly, tending to your lawn or other areas of the garden can ensure you get some fresh air as well as carry out more physical exertion that targets a number of different muscle groups.

Motivation can be a problem for many people when it comes to falling behind on their exercise regimes, but there are ways to combat this. Buying a pedometer can help you see the real benefits of the exercise you're doing, as you record the number of steps taken per day or in a given period and try to match or beat this value at other times. If you have friends who are trying to lose weight or improve their own physical fitness, you could also arrange to take walks, runs and perform other exercises together, allowing you to motivate each other.

There are numerous benefits of increasing your physical activity, including reducing your health risks which can in turn lead to discounted rates when taking out health insurance to offer long term cover for you and your family.

The author of this article is a part of a digital blogging team who work with brands like PruHealth. The content contained in this article is for information purposes only and should not be used to make any financial decisions.