Why Daily Movement Matters

 

Why everyday movement might be the most underrated health habit of all. Discover the benefits of daily physical activity and how simple movement like walking, chores, and cycling can improve health, and there is no gym required.

When we think about engaging in physical activity, most people will probably imagine fitness workouts, sweaty gyms, group exercise classes, and gruelling training programmes. And for some people, this type of activity is genuinely enjoyable and effective.

But for many within a proportion of the population, a structured fitness workout does not work for them. This may not be because people don’t care about their health, but because of time constraints, financial barriers, lack of motivation, gym-timidation, or health problems that prevent participation. As a result, many people quietly conclude that if they can’t “do exercise,” they may as well not bother at all. Time slips by and a sedentary lifestyle settles into their routines and habits. 

Movement and exercise are not the same thing

Exercise is really a sub-category within the concept of physical activity. It’s carefully planned, structured, and usually goal-oriented with the intent to bring about a specific result.

General physical activity, on the other hand, is much broader and is not usually targeted for the purpose of stimulating adaptations that relate to fitness. Physical activity may include options like:

• Walking

• Cycling as a form of transport

• Gardening

• Housework and home improvements

• Playing with children

• Taking the stairs instead of the elevator or escalator

• Hiking or orienteering

• Dancing for social enjoyment

This is not an exhaustive list but provides a flavour of the type of things that can be categorised as physical activity but not fitness or exercise. From a physiological perspective, the body doesn’t particularly care why you’re moving. It simply responds to the movement itself.

And the scientific evidence is increasingly clear: regular daily movement, performed over time, confers significant health benefits, even without planned, structured exercise sessions¹.

Most people aren’t inactive, they’re just moving less

Globally, a large percentage of adults fail to meet even the minimum recommended activity guidelines of at least 150 minutes of accumulated physical activity per week². But framing this statistic as an indicator of laziness may be short-sighted and missing the point.

Modern industry, engineering, and technology has displaced movement out of our daily lives:

• Modern transport (cars, trains, trams, buses, e-scooters/e-bikes) has replaced walking

• Urban / Suburban town or city design is spread across large areas that increase the reliance on motorised transport, reducing the need for walking even further

• Household appliances reduce physical work in the home (e.g. washing machines, tumble dryers, dish washers, and robotic vacuum cleaners)

• Remote controls for numerous devices reduce the need for movement

• Electric kitchen gadgets have reduced movement associated with food preparation and cooking

• Office jobs demand many hours of sitting at a display screen

There are many more examples of how human ingenuity has made modern life more convenient and less active in an effort to make our lives more efficient and more productive. All this convenience can lead to increased physiological stress on the body - to learn more about this, read the our blog on health implications of modern life on Stress. 

The problem with sedentary living isn’t only a lack of motivation. It’s also got a lot to do with the modern environment. Which means the solution doesn’t necessarily have to be heroic. It can be simple and practical.

What the science actually shows

Research consistently shows that moderate, accumulated physical activity improves health across multiple physiological systems of the body.

Regular movement, even when divided into short bouts across a day or week, is associated with:

• Reduced risk of cardiovascular disease³

• Improved blood glucose regulation and insulin sensitivity⁴

• Lower all-cause mortality risk⁵

• Better mental health and reduced stress and risk of depressive symptoms⁶

• Improved joint health.

• Better balance and functional strength for daily activities⁷

Importantly, many of these benefits appear at activity levels far below the traditional guidelines for structured exercise and fitness training programmes.

Engaging in walking, especially when performed regularly and consistently at a brisk pace, has been shown to significantly reduce cardiovascular risk and improve overall metabolic health⁸.

Why daily movement works so well

From a biological standpoint, frequent low-to-moderate movement brings about the following effects within the body:

• The nervous system responds to a myriad of stimuli to upregulate bodily functions

• The lungs have to breathe faster and more deeply

• The heart needs to beat faster and more powerfully

• Blood circulation speeds up

• Blood vessels are required to adapt and stretch to accommodate increased function 

• Joints become more lubricated

• Varied forces are placed through the connective tissues

• Muscles are required to lengthen and shorten to generate force

• The cells of the body upregulate their metabolic activity and energy production

In other words, physical activity aligns with the needs of the human body to move and adapt to the demands of life. We did not evolve to be sedentary. Neither will engaging in two or three vigorous exercise sessions per week outweigh the other 165 hours of sedentary living. As beneficial as exercise is, we need to incorporate general physical activity into the very fabric of our lives. 

Finding your own way to become more active

Rather than asking, “What exercise should I do?”
A more useful question might be:

“Where does movement already exist in my day and where could it easily be included?”

This isn’t about copying someone else’s routine. It’s about identifying opportunities that already exist within your own day and lifestyle circumstances.

Consider some gentle suggestions include:

• Could short journeys be walked or cycled instead?

• Could you extend the duration of existing patterns of movement or physical activity?

• Are there any physically active tasks or chores you currently outsource that you could consider doing yourself instead?

• Is there a recurring time of day when movement might help your mood or flagging energy levels?

• Are there socially engaging opportunities to be physically active with friends, family or within the local community?

There are no universally “best” answers to these questions, only what feels possible and realistic for you to implement into your own life. There are a few simple principles to be aware of when trying to upcycle your physical activity habits. 

1. Consistency usually trumps intensity

The health benefits associated with physical activity will result from regular, consistent engagement. Even at low to moderate levels of activity, performed regularly enough will bring about all the positive benefits we have identified in this blog. 

For example, 10-20 minutes of walking on most days of the week will outperform the occasional high-intensity weekend workout that never really develops into a steady habit.

The body is very responsive to regular, repetitive stimuli. Small actions, repeated often, quickly compounds into significant benefits. 

2. Remove the all-or-nothing trap

Establishing new physically active habits is usually a gradual process of trial and error. It is important not to set yourself up with excessively high expectations, but to give yourself some leeway to explore what works best. In my experience, it is fairly common for people to abandon physical activity or exercise goals because they missed a day, a week, or even longer. This leads to the conclusion that they have failed, stimulating guilt and frustration, and that they were foolish to try in the first place. This is an all or nothing mentality. Do it right or don't bother trying. This type of thinking is detrimental to positive behaviour change. 

Starting new behaviours and habits doesn’t usually work in a linear process where a goal is set and we travel in a straight line from point A to point B without any hurdles along the way. The journey to establishing a new long-term pattern of physical activity will almost certainly be winding with twists and turns and hurdles to jump. If you approach the intended goal expecting that type of varied journey, then when challenges arise, it will not derail your efforts but allow you to see the missed day or opportunity as a part of the learning process. 

The reality is there is no perfect physical activity streak to protect. There is only today’s opportunities to move and be active where possible. When opportunities are missed recommit to do better tomorrow. When opportunities are realised, be positive and happy about what was achieved and experienced. 

3. Reinforce your own agency

Perhaps, one of the most overlooked benefits of daily physical activity is the positive psychological influence it has upon us.

Each time we choose to walk, cycle, swim, carry, climb, lift, or move, even for brief periods, we reinforce a sense of agency and empowerment. An increase in confidence that you can  act in a way that is positive and uplifting. Each positive action builds towards a sustainable habit that becomes easier to choose. 

That message matters.

It matters because true behaviour change isn't enforced through dogged discipline. It is built through a steady, unwavering belief, a belief that change is possible, and within your power to obtain.

The final active thought

While a gym membership and structured fitness and exercise carries its own benefits, it is not the only way to a healthier happier self. 

Regular physical activity, woven into the fabric daily life, is one of the most accessible, effective, and forgiving health habits we can choose to engage in.

And, most importantly, it’s available to you, not someday, but today, through ordinary moments, through ordinary choices to act positively in the present.

References

1. Warburton DE, Nicol CW, Bredin SS. Health benefits of physical activity. CMAJ. 2006.

2. World Health Organization. Global Action Plan on Physical Activity. 2018.

3. Lear SA et al. The effect of physical activity on cardiovascular disease. Lancet. 2017.

4. Hawley JA, Lessard SJ. Exercise training-induced improvements in insulin action. J Appl Physiol. 2008.

5. Ekelund U et al. Dose-response associations between physical activity and mortality. BMJ. 2019.

6. Schuch FB et al. Physical activity and incident depression. Am J Psychiatry. 2018.

7. Paterson DH, Warburton DE. Physical activity and functional limitations. Can J Appl Physiol. 2010.

8. Murtagh EM et al. Walking and cardiovascular risk. Br J Sports Med. 2015.