Get fit from your office!

With summer just around the corner (we hope), the fear of tiny tops and shorts, or even worse- the dreaded bikini- is ever looming. 

If, like a lot of people, you are sat behind a desk for the majority of your day, it is difficult to find the time to get fit and stay active. There are however ways to improve the levels of physical activity in your day to day life without making massive lifestyle changes or having to sign up for costly gym memberships.

Try and walk or cycle to work or if that is not possible, get off a stop earlier on the bus or train and walk the last part of your route. You could even find a carpark a bit further away from your office if you drive to work.

Stand while talking on the phone and try walking over to your colleagues desk to talk to them rather than calling them.

Take the stairs instead of the lift of escalator.

Go for a walk in your lunch break. You could use a tracking device such as the Fitbit Ultra to keep track of your progress and even share with friends and family online. Build up gradually to walking at least 10,000 steps a day. Set goals and reward yourself when you reach them.

And just remember- small changes in your daily routine can add up to big changes in your health!  

Bikini Body Countdown Part 2

Your summer holiday is approaching and the weather is hotting-up. You should be excited but the fear of stripping off in direct sunlight is niggling at the back of your mind... Well, don't panic and check out our Bikini Body Countdown Part 1 for how to get started on the road to your dream body by setting realistic goals and keeping track of your progress.

As anyone will tell you, the fastest way to kick-start your weight-loss is not only to watch what you are eating, but also to increase the amount of exercise that you do. Again, it is important to be realistic with your exercise goals. If you do very little exercise and you suddenly start going to the gym every day for two hours, you are going to lose interest very quickly (and quite possible do your body some damage too!) Ease yourself into a new fitter lifestyle by setting practical goals that fit with your lifestyle. Take a brisk walk in your lunch break or walk to and from work instead of driving. Get your family involved by walking the kids to school or going on a bike ride together at the weekend. Find an activity that you enjoy and you are much more likely to stick to it! Even small changes will make a huge difference to your level of fitness and will help you maintain a healthy weight and lifestyle.

If you need a bit more motivation to keep track of all of the positive changes that you are making, perhaps you should consider investing in a health tracker such as the Fitbit UltraWireless Tracker.

The Fitbit Ultra monitors your activity all day to provide you with real-time feedback on steps, distance, calories burned, and stairs climbed to encourage you to walk more and be more active. It wirelessly uploads your data to Fitbit.com so you can gain deeper insight into your daily or monthly fitness and sleep levels with free online graphs and charts. On Fitbit.com, you can earn fitness badges, connect with friends to share and compete on fitness goals, or join the Fitbit community for advice and encouragement. So you can get fit- one step at a time!