Finding the time and motivation to exercise regularly is a challenge most people face on a daily basis. Many people complain about a lack of time, as they find it difficult to fit exercise into their busy schedules.

Well, the truth of the matter is that there will never be enough time to do everything we want to do in our lives. If we want something badly enough, we simply have to make it happen, no matter what the cost.

We are often hampered by the mistaken belief that we can only exercise within the confines of a gym. In fact, we can get a decent workout out of many of our daily activities.

Do you realize how many calories you burn every time you walk up a flight of stairs or play Frisbee with friends on the beach or just walk your dog a few blocks? These are activities that many people do daily and yet complain about not having time to exercise.

To get even more benefit from these types of daily activities, you simply need to step it up a bit. You can still do these same activities, but at a higher burn rate will help you burn even more calories.

The following tips will help you stay in shape with your daily activities even if you don’t go to the gym;

(a) Walk the dog a longer distance: If you have a dog and you normally walk, say two blocks together, try increasing it to four blocks. It will only cost you a few extra minutes that won’t hurt your schedule. You have nothing to lose except calories.

(b) If you don’t have a dog, you can just take a quick walk around the block while listening to your favorite songs on your iPod. Even a simple 10-minute brisk walk burns plenty of calories, and with the iPod, you’ll barely notice the passage of time.

(c) Take the stairs: Use the stairs more often. If you have elevators at your workplace, try to only use them when absolutely necessary if your office is not far above the ground floor of the building. Otherwise, you could use the stairs for part of the trip and use the elevators for the rest of the way up/down to and from your office.

(d) Do some light exercise while watching TV. Television is the favorite hobby of many people and some spend up to 6 hours a day in this activity. You can do some crunches or get a jump rope workout during commercial breaks.

In this way, you will continue to get the exercise you need without having to miss your TV shows or go to the gym.

These are easy ways to get around time constraints and get a decent workout. By following these tips, the lack of time should no longer be a reason for not doing the right exercise.