I remember when I first began martial arts training. A friend of mine had been doing hung gar kung fu for some time, and he had such glowing things to say about it that I was intrigued enough to join him. One day we were traveling around the city and came to a multi-level building where we had an appointment on the fourth floor. As I entered the elevator, my friend smirked at me and took the stairs. He was waiting for me outside the doors when they opened at our destination.

He then chided me for taking the elevator in lieu of the stairs. “Everything is kung fu,” he said. I immediately took his meaning and from that day on made it a point to find alternative ways to navigate my daily routines in such a way that I was always exercising in some form or another.

The point is this: if you choose to, you can always be improving some aspect of your life. You don’t need to wait to be in the gym to work out. Life presents us with a myriad of ways in which to indulge in what I like to call “incidental exercise”.

The first step in incidental exercise is to cut out the use of elevators as much as possible. Stairs help you maintain leg strength and get the blood pumping a little bit on your way to wherever it is you’re going, which, incidentally, gives the benefit of that healthy flush that adds vibrancy to your appearance.

Martial artists always have an opportunity to practice balance and stances no matter where they are. If you’re standing, do it on one leg. If you have to be stationary for any length of time, take horse stance. Forms may also be practiced, either shadow boxing-style or against a wall or pole.

Even simple movements like pushing a door open or bending down to pick something up can be done in ways that allow an opportunity to improve, or at least exercise, your skills. Obviously, incidental exercise is not meant to replace conventional exercise, but rather, to complement it. So don’t just sit there, work it!