The number one reason given for not being able to exercise regularly is a lack of time; but, is this truly an accurate perception of reality? Consider this:

• During the 5 minutes you sat while talking on the phone with a friend, you could have jogged a little over one-half mile with that friend to burn 66 extra calories.
• During the 10 minutes you waited in your car for your child to be finished with swim lessons, you could have gotten out of your vehicle and walked around the perimeter of the pool to burn 60 extra calories.
• During the 15 minutes you sat socializing and eating a donut on your coffee break, you could have performed calisthenics (e.g., push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks, heel raises, etc.,) in your office/cubicle to burn 143 calories.
• During the 30 minutes you sat on the couch watching television, you could have ridden your stationary bike while viewing that show to burn 251 extra calories.

The total for the day: Sixty minutes of physical activity resulting in a caloric expenditure of 520 calories.*

Tip: Swapping inactive downtime with active pursuits will help you to reach the recommended amount of physical activity needed to promote health (150 to 350 minutes of moderate- to vigoruos-intensity exercise per week).

*Values are calculated for a person weighing 150 pounds. The following assumptions about activity intensity level were assumed: jogging at a 9 min/mile pace; walking at 4.0 mph; calisthenics performed at a vigorous intensity; and, biking at 150 watts.

Reference:
The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide; 2000