Boost your activity level each day, and you’ll be burning calories and getting lean and trim in no time.

Many men and women are interested in getting fit, but don’t know where to start. Or, they start, but don’t keep it up because they get bored or feel like it’s a lot of hard work.

But you can get into the mood and the move in a lot of different ways that don’t involve hours on a treadmill or stairclimber, or spending a fortune on gym membership or equipment.

The most important way to stay fit and lose weight is to stay on the move. It takes 2000 calories to put on a pound, but 3000 to burn one off.

But exercise does not have to be a chore, or something you need to set aside hours for. The good news is that even 10 minutes a day can help—and new research has also shown that 4 sessions of 10 minutes a day is actually better for you than 40 minutes of sustained exercise.

Not only does it help you stay physically fit and trim, exercise also enhances your mood. Often you can even meet a lot of great like-minded people who will encourage you to stay fit.

The easiest way to exercise is the 10,000 steps a day rule. You can get an inexpensive pedometer to help keep you on track. Walking is a tremendous way of staying in shape for many men and women. You can gradually begin walking more with each passing day. In time, you can build up to the 10,000 step a day level.

You can also carry two water bottles and/orswing your arms more vigorously, to burn even more calories. Walking up hill or up stairs can also increase the impact of the workout and the number of calories burned.

Walking to the store instead of taking the car, or, not grabbing the first parking spot, but actually parking further away from the store entrance, can all help you meet your 10000 step goal.

Taking the stairs instead of the elevator, both up and down counts. Stepping from side to side while you wait for a bus or train works too, and actually exercises another set of helpful muscles. To increase your heart rate when walking, take smaller, more numerous strides per minute instead of longer, fewer ones.

A dog is also a great way to keep fit, and he is a mood booster too. Just remember, a puppy is a 15 year marriage commitment, til death do you part, usually its death. At the same time, though, there are tens of thousands of dogs looking for a home at www.petfinder.org if you feel that a canine pal will help keep you on track with your fitness goals.

Other daily activities which you can include would be golfing, especially if you carry your own clubs, and gardening.

Swimming is another huge calorie burner with low impact on your joints, something to consider if you are trying to lose weight without stress and strain to yourself or your joints. But you can’t do it literally anywhere (even in a plane!) the way you can with walking.

The worst exercise is none at all, so look at your daily schedule and try to see where you can add a few steps here and there to get your 10,000 every day. Every step counts on your path to better fitness.

In an earlier article we gave you some handy healthy eating tips. Here we are going to give you some advice about how to stay active to help keep slim and trim.

• 4 short 10-minute work-out sessions can be even more effective than a 40-minute burst. The thing is to keep moving.

• Cable TV has a lot of great workout shows. Find the one that’s right for you and stick to it. You can also record several on tape and play them to break up the monotony.

• Netflix has a full library of workout DVDS. Again, you can view them all and keep note of the ones you like the best, then invest in them.

• Try different styles of workout, from yoga to belly dancing to tai chi to kick boxing. Avoid boredom above all.

• Avoid anything that makes you feel strained, and avoid high impact exercises, especially if you are overweight or have joint trouble.

• Start gradually and work your way up. Don’t try to lift 50 pounds the first time you go to the gym. Start with a weight you can do 20 reps with, and gradually increase both the weight and the repetitions. When you get to a level where you feel bored, increase the weight.

• Avoid toning the same part of your body over and over again. Schedule your daily workouts so that you get to work on all parts of your body at least twice a week, but never two days in a row.

• Don’t punish yourself if you want to have a day off, or take an exercise break. Get back into your routine as soon as possible.

• Stretch and warm up before starting any exercise.

• Practice proper form in any sport or exercise for maximum exercise impact, and to avoid injury.

• If you do join a gym, try out a number of different classes to keep your interest up and meet new people as fitness buddies.

• Try to find a better body buddy. Exercise is more fun if you do it with other people. Do aerobics with a friend or play a sport with your family. Even doubles tennis counts as exercise!

• A change in environment keeps boredom at bay. Don’t just stand on your treadmill or stairclimber, get out to the park, walk up a hill, take the stairs instead of the elevator.

• Taking a nap for 15 to 20 minutes in the afternoon can sharpen your memory, improve alertness, and help reduce fatigue. If you can’t take a nap, set aside some time for lighter activities, such as checking email or answering phone calls.

• Build muscle to boost metabolism. Experts estimate that an additional pound of lean muscle mass can increase resting metabolism by 30-50 calories a day. So turn that chunkiness in the middle to a six pack and you’ll be firing on all cylinders like well-oiled, well fuelled machine.

Little changes can add up to big results!