Some of the list items below may count as both workouts and physical activity, but once I got the ole brain fired up, I couldn’t help myself! With just the group fitness class category alone, I could give you over 30 examples. 

From dancing to fishing, shoveling snow to walking meetings, and volunteering to sightseeing, there’s an idea for you in the list below. Admittedly, some aren’t as enjoyable as the others (who wants to wash floors?), but if you find yourself HAVING to do them, go ahead and count ‘em. 

Technically the numbered list goes to 83, but as I mentioned above, several categories could be expanded so I’m gonna go out on a limb and guess we’re talkin’ a couple hundred options. I didn’t think it was necessary to write out every possible pet-walking option as it’s own number (walk your dog, walk your tiger, walk your snake, walk your goldfish… you get the idea). 

The most brilliant thing about this list is that you can begin to see the myriad of possibilities when it comes to just getting moving. There aren’t rules to moving your body, except try not to hurt yourself. Remember, something is better than nothing, and you don’t have to do all 30 minutes at once. 

Activities

1. Go for a walk
2. Running
3. Hiking
4. Skiing
5. Water Skiing
6. Cross Country Skiing
7. Rowing
8. Swimming
9. Lifting Weights
10. Yoga
11. Group Fitness Classes (Bootcamps, Zumba, Barre, SoulCycle, Orange Theory, etc.)
12. CrossFit
13. Dancing
14. Tubing (behind a boat)
15. Snowboarding
16. Wakeboarding
17. Skateboarding
18. Biking
19. Canoeing/kayaking
20. Elliptical
21. Ice skating
22. Rock climbing
23. Roller skating
24. Snow shoeing
25. Stair stepper
26. Surfing
27. Windsurfing
28. Golfing (walk your bag!)
29. Mini-Golf
30. Pick-up game of basketball/soccer/volleyball at the rec/YMCA
31. Jump Rope
32. Water aerobics
33. Badminton
34. Bowling
35. Martial arts (Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, etc)
36. Fishing
37. Hockey
38. Baseball/Softball
39. Handball
40. Ping Pong
41. Wii

Around the House

1. Gardening
2. Help a neighbor stack wood
3. Chop wood
4. Walking your dog (or insert other pet)
5. Household chores
6. Wash your car by hand instead of the automatic
7. Rake leaves
8. Shovel snow
9. Mow the grass with a pushmower
10. Make meals from scratch (ever had to knead bread for 10min?)
11. Re-stain the deck/re-paint the fence
12. Wash windows
13. Wash floors
14. “Marie Kondo” your basement/closets/entire house

At Work

1. Get a stand-up desk
2. Use an exercise ball as your chair
3. Use 15-30min of your lunch break to go for a walk
4. Have ‘walking meetings’ instead of sit downs
5. Walk down the hall instead of emailing a question
6. Get a smaller water cup for more trips to the water cooler
7. Take a 5min stretch break after an intense focus block
8. Take outgoing mail to the mailroom instead of waiting for pickup

Volunteering

1. Plant Trees in the community
2. Pick up litter along the road
3. Serve in a soup kitchen
4. Deliver meals or groceries to the elderly
5. Diaper bank
6. Chaperone a school field trip
7. Help build houses with Habitat for Humanity
8. Assist at events like the Special Olympics or Summer Camps
9. Coach a youth sports team
10. Babysit children during a PTA (or other community) meeting
11. Be a sorter at a donation center
12. Become the neighborhood crossing guard

Miscellaneous

1. Park in the furthest spot from work/store/mall/etc.
2. Sightseeing
3. Playing with your kids (tag, sports, playground, etc)
4. Take the stairs
5. Take a trip to the zoo/museum/theme park
6. Stretch during commercials
7. Help a friend move in/out
8. Do squats or calf raises while brushing your teeth

If you’ve got additions to the list, let me know at mackenzie@runningwithbacon.com or tell me about it on social media using the hashtag #whatsyour2percent.