Do you find yourself sitting 50% or more during your day? Sitting in your car, behind your desk, watching TV, or reading a book all contribute to sedentary lifestyles. “Special K Elite Team” personal trainer, Steve Jordan, says most of us claim there just aren't enough hours in the day to do all we want, including getting regular exercise, but is this really true? He suggests trying these simple ways to find a few extra minutes in order to become more active.

The Early Bird: The most obvious way to find more time in your day is to get up earlier. If you normally set the alarm clock for 7:30am, set it for 7am instead and use the extra half hour to go for a walk or take part in some other form of physical activity you enjoy. Alternatively, if you're not an early bird, consider looking at how you could use any free time you have in the evening to increase your activity patterns. You might want to look for a gym that's open 24 hours, or buy some home exercise equipment so you can work out while watching the television or listening to the radio. However, it's important that you listen to your body. Our natural 24-hour biological cycle (circadian rhythms) means we experience exercise differently at different times of the day. Most of us know whether we're a 'morning person' or not. If you find it hard to get up in the morning, don't try to exercise at that time. It will be difficult to stick to your new routine and you won't enjoy what you're doing. It's important to exercise when you feel at your best for physical activity. Experiment to find a time that suits you.

Time-Management: Here are some ideas on how you can become more active, more often.

• Make an appointment to exercise. You could also record what you did in your workout, so you can keep track of your achievements. You can extend this idea by actually making a real appointment with a friend, colleague or relative to exercise together. Alternatively, if you use your computer on a daily basis, set up a reminder message to take a walk or go for a swim.


• Keep an exercise kit handy in the places you spend most of your time. This might mean leaving clothes at college, work, with friends or relatives, or in the trunk of your car. By having clothes handy you can exercise whenever you get an unexpected free 15 minutes, or a sudden burst of enthusiasm.


• Practice saying no to people who ask you to do things that aren't your responsibility, or don't even need doing, yet take up valuable time. Protect your free time so you can use it for sport, exercise or physical activity.


• Find ways to work, care for others or study smarter rather then harder. For example, use your computer skills to save time on a range of mundane activities, then use the free time you've created to be physically active.


• If you're employed, make sure you use all your holiday entitlement. Consider taking active holidays such as a cycle tour or trekking trip.


• If you own a car, leave it at home as much as possible and walk or cycle to shops for small things such as milk or a newspaper.


• As an experiment, don't wear a watch for a weekend to see if being released from this 'jailer' liberates you to do more physical activity.