# Incidental movement and errands > You can add activity without setting aside exercise time: take the stairs, walk part of a trip, and put some effort into chores. Replacing sitting with movement of any intensity helps, and starting small and building up is enough. - Type: Guide - Topic: Getting Moving › Everyday Movement - Reviewed by: Andrew Schox, BSc(Hons) PGradDipPod MPod, Podiatrist (2026-10-21) - URL: https://twikka.com/learn/incidental-movement-and-errands - Updated: 2026-10-21 - **Small swaps add up:** taking the stairs, parking further away and getting off the bus a stop early all add movement to your day [1]. - **Any intensity helps:** replacing sitting time with activity of any intensity, including light activity, has health benefits [2]. - **Chores count when they take effort:** aim to feel slightly warmer and breathe a bit heavier [3]. - **Start small and build up** how often, how hard and how long you are active [2]. ## Where can you find extra movement in your day? Extra movement is already hidden in ordinary routines: stairs instead of the lift or escalator, parking further away, getting off the bus a stop or two early, walking with friends instead of sitting, and jobs like cleaning or gardening [1][3]. This kind of unplanned movement, done while you are doing something else, is called incidental activity [4]. If you sit for long stretches, break it up. The WHO says replacing sitting time with activity of any intensity, including light activity, has health benefits [2]. NHS advice is to set a reminder to get up and move every 30 minutes, stretch during TV ad breaks, or pace around the kitchen while the kettle boils [1]. Even short standing breaks lowered blood sugar after meals compared with sitting for long stretches, and light walking breaks did better; what this adds up to over the long term isn't clear yet [5]. You don't need big changes for this to matter. The largest gain in health tends to come from moving out of the least active group into the next one up [6]. Some activity is better than none, so begin with small amounts and build up gradually [2]. > **Try this:** This week, pick two swaps: park at the far end of the car park (or get off the bus a stop early), and stand up and move about during the ad breaks of one TV programme. Add more when these feel easy. ## How can chores count as activity? Chores count when you put in enough effort to feel slightly warmer and breathe a bit heavier. The WHO says activity done at work, leisure, home or in transport counts towards the recommended amounts [2]. Cleaning the house, heavy gardening and walking the dog are all named as activity [3]. A moderate-intensity chore raises your heart rate and makes you breathe faster and feel warmer, and you can still talk but not sing. Pushing a lawnmower is one example [1]. Some chores take more effort than others. Dishes, dusting, making the bed, laundry, ironing, tidying and cooking are usually sorted as light housework. Window cleaning, changing bedding, vacuuming and scrubbing floors are sorted as heavy housework [7]. The heavier jobs are more likely to reach moderate effort. Light jobs still keep you moving instead of sitting. Carrying heavy shopping counts too, and if your mobility is limited, chair-based activities can count [8]. Chores can add up towards the WHO's range of 150–300 minutes of moderate activity a week, and doing less than that is not wasted [2]. Start with a short stretch of chores and add more time over the weeks. Heavier chores and carrying loads can make a back, muscle or joint sore. If that happens, ease off, and see a doctor or physio if it persists or gets worse. ## How can errands become exercise? Walking part or all of a regular trip turns an errand into activity. Activity done during transport counts towards the recommended amounts [2], and stairs, walking for transport and shopping all count as incidental activity [4]. Simple ways to start: - **Choose one regular trip,** such as to the shop, the bus stop or a school run, and walk part or all of it a few times a week [1]. - **Get off the bus a stop or two early** and walk the rest of the way [1]. - **Stand rather than sit** on journeys when you can [1]. - **Park further away** than you need to; even the far end of the car park adds a little activity [1]. - **Take the stairs** instead of the lift or escalator, and leave the car at home when you can [1][3]. People who commute actively tend to have a lower risk of early death and of heart disease [9]. You don't need to make the whole trip on foot for it to count; start small and build up gradually [2]. Walking an errand depends on safe local routes and your own mobility. Choose a route that feels safe and suits your current level. ## When to check with a health professional The WHO says the benefits of activity outweigh the potential harms, and that risks can be managed by increasing activity gradually. If new symptoms appear as you do more, see a healthcare provider [2]. If you're starting exercise after a long break, it's always a good idea to see your doctor first. For an injury or a health condition, see a health professional, such as your doctor or a physio. Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure (or pain spreading to the arm, neck, jaw or back, especially with sweating or feeling sick), severe breathlessness, fainting or collapse, signs of a stroke, a serious injury, or someone who isn't safe. Unusual tiredness is not an emergency, but get it checked by a doctor. If you live with a disability or a long-term condition, choose activity suited to your current level and health. You may want a doctor or specialist to help you choose [2]. ## Quick answers ### Do stairs really count as exercise? Yes. Using stairs is a form of incidental activity, which means movement you do while going about your day. If you feel slightly warmer and breathe a bit heavier, it is doing its job. A few flights a day is a reasonable start, and you can add more as it gets easier. ### Do short bursts of movement under 10 minutes count? Yes. Activity of any length counts towards your weekly amount, and there is no minimum of 10 minutes at a time. A two-minute walk to the shop or a quick tidy-up adds to the total in the same way as a longer session. ## Sources 1. NHS. How to be more active – Better Health. https://www.nhs.uk/better-health/get-active/how-to-be-more-active 2. Bull FC et al. (2020). World Health Organization 2020 guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behaviour. British Journal of Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2020-102955 3. NI Direct (2018). Physical activity. https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/physical-activity 4. Reyes-Molina D et al. (2025). Conceptual and Evidence Update on Incidental Physical Activity: A Scoping Review of Experimental and Observational Studies. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70015 5. Buffey AJ et al. (2022). The Acute Effects of Interrupting Prolonged Sitting Time in Adults with Standing and Light-Intensity Walking on Biomarkers of Cardiometabolic Health in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-022-01649-4 6. Ekelund U et al. (2019). Dose-response associations between accelerometry measured physical activity and sedentary time and all cause mortality: systematic review and harmonised meta-analysis. BMJ. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l4570 7. Lee SY et al. (2021). Cross-sectional associations of housework with cognitive, physical and sensorimotor functions in younger and older community-dwelling adults: the Yishun Study. BMJ Open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052557 8. NHS My Health London. Exercise safely with CVD. https://www.myhealthlondon.nhs.uk/be-healthier/move-more/exercise-safely-with-cvd/ 9. Dinu M et al. (2019). Active Commuting and Multiple Health Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-018-1023-0 --- Source: Twikka (https://twikka.com/learn/incidental-movement-and-errands). General information about physical activity, not medical advice.