Maximise your 30 minutes

Try these top tips from fitness expert Diane Toothill

Set short-term goals

If you currently do 15 minutes of daily physical activity, gradually build it up to 20 minutes, and so on. Then set a goal of steadily increasing your distance, such as reaching a new landmark on your walk or cycle ride every fortnight.

Make sure you are doing moderate, rather than light, activity

You can measure the intensity of your workout on a scale of one to 10, where one equals ‘no exertion’ and 10 equals ‘maximum effort’. How fast your heart is beating and how warm you feel can be used as a guide. For moderate activity, you should be working at around a level four.

A second option is the ‘talk test’, where, although breathing harder than normal, you should still be able to carry on a conversation. When your fitness improves you can aim for more vigorous activity.

Begin and end activity at a slower pace so your body has time to warm up and cool down

If you can, especially at the end when your muscles are warm, do some stretches to increase flexibility.

Regularly break up your workout with an ‘interval’ activity

For example, during a walk, stride at a faster pace for a minute or two, and then recover by walking more slowly for two minutes. This will help when hurrying to catch a bus!

Why not tell us how you make the most of your 30 minutes of physical activity a day?