New Year’s resolutions come and go fast. Getting fit, losing weight and getting healthy are some of the more common ones. Keeping up the good intentions are more difficult.

Research has shown that 77% of people do not keep up their promises and around £37 is being wasted every year by people not using gym memberships.

Getting more active and fit has been shown to decrease pain and increase happiness, but there are many ways of incorporating a change of lifestyle into our busy schedules, without it taking over our lives.

Chiropractor Yunju Lee, from Health on Hand Mansfield, St John Street, said the good news is that short bursts of activity throughout the day can be just as effective at burning fat and building fitness as conventional workouts. 10-15 minutes exercise regularly may be enough to make a difference.

Yunju Lee suggests a few ideas to make your everyday routine count as exercise:

Housework (20 minutes)
We all have to do it, so make it count. Getting down and dirty with the hoover, washing the windows or scrubbing the floor are great ways to raise your heart rate and tone your muscles. Just make sure you do it at a reasonable pace and use some elbow grease.

Stairs (15 minutes throughout the day)
Stairs are great for toning up your bottom and legs. Make it a habit to run up the stairs at home, and when you’re at work or out shopping, take the stairs instead of the escalator or lift.

Dancing (20 minutes)
Nothing improves your leg-muscle tone, fitness and mood more than a good spin. You don’t have to go to a club and you don’t need a partner – just put on some music and cut up the carpet.

Walking (15 minutes at a brisk pace)
Regular brisk walks could help reduce your cholesterol and blood-pressure levels, and potentially cut the chances of more serious health risks like strokes and heart disease.

Skipping (15 minutes)
Skipping works your heart and lungs, and gives your legs and upper body a great workout too. Start in bursts of two to three minutes, and count each skip so you know how well you’re doing – you’ll be surprised how quickly you build up fitness.

Washing the car (20 to 30 minutes)
Don’t take it to a car wash – do it yourself and put some effort in. Washing, and especially waxing, the car works the front and backs of your arms, plus your shoulders and back muscles, making it as effective as press-ups.

Gardening (15 minutes)
Short spurts of vigorous gardening, like digging in compost or raking wet leaves, will boost your fitness levels more than longer sessions or an easier workout, so get stuck in.

Cycling (10 minutes)
Cycling is a brilliant way to tone up your legs, plus it’s really good for your heart. And if you’ve got kids, it’s a great excuse to get everyone out into the fresh air together.

These are a few ideas to help get your fitness levels up. It is important you look after your posture while you do these activities, do gentle movements to warm up before and stretches when you finish, otherwise you may end up with aches and pains afterwards.

Health on Hand Mansfield is offering a free assessment to advise you on posture, exercises and how to help yourself prevent aches and pains. Call 01623 635333 for further information.