Are you sitting all day? The only activity you do is walking from your desk to the fridge? It’s no secret that many of us are really sitting much more than we are moving.

The good news is that you can do something about it!

Here are 4 things you can do to stay more active and eventually lose more weight:

#1 Do something in the morning

It will take time to get used to, but try to  Start off on the right foot and get moving as soon as you wake up: a short morning run or a quick workout at the gym will crank up your circulation. You’re too tired to do sports in the morning? Try parking your car farther away from the office

#2 Stand more

An interesting analysis of this topic was recently published.

The analysis initially looked at 658 studies that evaluated the sitting versus standing question, and whittled them down to 46 studies with just under 1200 total participants.  It aimed to identify the mean (average) difference in energy expenditure between sitting and standing across these studies, which collectively addressed a range of factors (like age, gender, weight, overall fitness, etc.) that could influence the outcome.

Long story short, the average difference between standing and sitting is still significant.

6 hours of standing instead of sitting burns about 13 M&Ms or 18 small red grapes’ worth of calories a day.

Not an enormous difference, but certainly a difference. Added to other possible health benefits of standing a few hours more each day, the case for getting up at work and home is that much stronger.

#3 Take the stairs

Most people think of the stairs as an antiquated inconvenience, but guess what? Simply walking up stairs counts as exercise. Stairs are a great way to build in quick bursts of exercise whether you’re at work, the mall, or the ballpark.

#4 The “before shower commitment”

A good way to burn some extra calories throughout the day is to commit to a quick “mini-workout” right before the shower.

What do I mean by that? I like to do 20 push-ups every day before I hop into the shower. I know it may sound silly but it adds up.

How would your body look like with extra 140 push-ups a week? Don’t underestimate the power of the compound effect.