Stop thinking big, and start thinking small. As summer closes to an end, it is time to think about how you will continue your exercise routine through the fall and winter. It is never too late to start a new activity and it is always a good idea to find new ways to use your body so you don t get bored with your routine.

I recently realized this when I had an errand to run. I needed to drop something off at a friend s house and I thought: I really don t need to take the car, I should ride my bike.  The funny thing is I am conditioned to think that a bike ride  needs to be twenty-five or more miles to be worthy of jumping onto the seat.

When I hopped on my bike and sped over to my friend s house (only about a mile and a half away) I realized how much fun it is to just ride a bike for leisure. I felt like a kid. Just riding fast, with a purpose: to get to my friend s house. Yet at the same time, I also realized how even a short jaunt is a great sprint workout. I rode there and back as fast as I could because I had to get back to work, so my body had a good workout, even though it was just minutes.

The lesson learned here is that small moves can lead to results when it comes to both fitness and weight loss; and they are worth it if you are strapped for time. Busy people simply don t always have time to spend an hour or two in a gym or on a thirty-mile bike ride. Fitting in what you can through the week will still help you get results.

Sure a longer, harder work out will promote quicker fat loss and more muscle tone, but for overall health, every little bit can help. Research has shown that short bouts of exercise throughout the day has the same benefit as one long bout, in both reducing blood pressure and weight. In addition, this approach may be quite doable for a lot of folks. So as you begin the new season, consider these ideas for fitting in useful exercise, in small segments, five days a week:

– Take a 10-15 minute walk before you get in the shower in the morning

– Take another 15 minute walk at lunch hour

– Walk or ride a bike to run your errands.