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
- Go for a walk
- Running
- Hiking
- Skiing
- Water Skiing
- Cross Country Skiing
- Rowing
- Swimming
- Lifting Weights
- Yoga
- Group Fitness Classes (Bootcamps, Zumba, Barre, SoulCycle, Orange Theory, etc.)
- CrossFit
- Dancing
- Tubing (behind a boat)
- Snowboarding
- Wakeboarding
- Skateboarding
- Biking
- Canoeing/kayaking
- Elliptical
- Ice skating
- Rock climbing
- Roller skating
- Snow shoeing
- Stair stepper
- Surfing
- Windsurfing
- Golfing (walk your bag!)
- Mini-Golf
- Pick-up game of basketball/soccer/volleyball at the rec/YMCA
- Jump Rope
- Water aerobics
- Badminton
- Bowling
- Martial arts (Karate, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Judo, etc)
- Fishing
- Hockey
- Baseball/Softball
- Handball
- Ping Pong
- Wii
Around the House
- Gardening
- Help a neighbor stack wood
- Chop wood
- Walking your dog (or insert other pet)
- Household chores
- Wash your car by hand instead of the automatic
- Rake leaves
- Shovel snow
- Mow the grass with a pushmower
- Make meals from scratch (ever had to knead bread for 10min?)
- Re-stain the deck/re-paint the fence
- Wash windows
- Wash floors
- “Marie Kondo” your basement/closets/entire house
At Work
- Get a stand-up desk
- Use an exercise ball as your chair
- Use 15-30min of your lunch break to go for a walk
- Have ‘walking meetings’ instead of sit downs
- Walk down the hall instead of emailing a question
- Get a smaller water cup for more trips to the water cooler
- Take a 5min stretch break after an intense focus block
- Take outgoing mail to the mailroom instead of waiting for pickup
Volunteering
- Plant Trees in the community
- Pick up litter along the road
- Serve in a soup kitchen
- Deliver meals or groceries to the elderly
- Diaper bank
- Chaperone a school field trip
- Help build houses with Habitat for Humanity
- Assist at events like the Special Olympics or Summer Camps
- Coach a youth sports team
- Babysit children during a PTA (or other community) meeting
- Be a sorter at a donation center
- Become the neighborhood crossing guard
Miscellaneous
- Park in the furthest spot from work/store/mall/etc.
- Sightseeing
- Playing with your kids (tag, sports, playground, etc)
- Take the stairs
- Take a trip to the zoo/museum/theme park
- Stretch during commercials
- Help a friend move in/out
- 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.

FREE 4-Week Plan
Does it seem like by the time you found a workout for the day you could have already finished a workout?
Grab this FREE 4-week workout plan and all you have to do is press play!
With 4 weeks of home workouts – cardio, strength, recovery, HIIT and more – keep it fresh, challenging and FUN!