You don’t need to overhaul your entire life to get in shape – try these simple habit tweaks instead

Harry BullmoreSun, April 19, 2026 at 7:00 AM UTC

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But what if there was a better way to nudge your health in the right direction? (Getty/iStock)

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Have you ever made a dedicated push to get in shape? If so, chances are you overhauled everything – your diet, your exercise plans, your sleep routine, even your wardrobe.

This probably worked for a while, and will continue to work for a select few. For most people, however, these major changes soon prove unsustainable and fall by the wayside.

But what if there was a better way to nudge your health in the right direction? I’ll try to explain this with an analogy.

If you wanted your living room to be a different colour, chances are you wouldn’t buy a new house. You would just paint the house you already live in.

Likewise, if you want to improve your health, it’s easier to make positive tweaks to your existing behaviours than reinvent your entire routine.

For example: one sugar in your tea rather than three; a weekly walking phone call with a family member rather than a stationary one; swapping a regular fizzy drink for a glass of squash; going to bed 15 minutes earlier.

Our first featured piece involves a conversation with Dr Binh Nguyen, a physical activity researcher at the University of Sydney. While most studies examine a brief snapshot of subjects’ lives, she and her team followed women aged 47-52 for 15 years.

They found that those who consistently met World Health Organisation physical activity guidelines (at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week) “had about half the risk of premature death as those who remained inactive”.

However, in an earlier study, she found this demographic also improved their quality of life and health for years to come through exercise – even when they didn’t start until their 50s.

This doesn’t have to be formal sport or an intense gym session either, Dr Nguyen says. Moderate-intensity activity can be anything that raises your heart rate while still allowing you to hold a conversation – a brisk walk to the shops, working in your garden, or playing with your children.

A third study co-authored by Dr Nguyen even found that, if your week currently includes minimal movement, light activity such as a slow walk or stretching can still reduce your risk of death. However, existing exercisers will require something a little more vigorous for further fitness benefits.

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Conversely, if you already walk a lot but don’t know what next steps to take for better health, another leading physical activity researcher from the University of Sydney might have the answer: make your walks a little more challenging.

Professor Emmanuel Stamatakis and his team found that between five and 10 short (up to 60 seconds) bursts of vigorous-intensity activity each day “seem to be associated with between 30 and 50 per cent lower risk of cardiovascular conditions, cancer and mortality”.

The reason for this is simple: the body is brilliant at adapting to overcome new physical challenges if you give it time (and food, and rest). To see fitness progress – think more efficient heart and lungs, stronger bones and muscles, and increased mobility – you simply need to consistently present it with challenges that are ever so slightly out of your comfort zone, then fuel it appropriately and get a good kip.

“Vigorous-intensity” is a relative term too. For elite athletes, it may look like a hell-for-leather effort on a bike or run. For non-exercisers, it could be a faster-paced walk or tackling a hill. It simply refers to anything that gets you out of breath.

Finally, I had a conversation with NHS GP Dr Radha Modgil late last year which I feel applies nicely to the theme of this newsletter. She shared her favourite small, sustainable lifestyle swaps that can have a significant cumulative impact on how you look, feel and function.

Again, there is nothing flashy or expensive here, just swerving extreme diets in favour of a few extra vegetables, sticking to a semi-regular sleep schedule where possible, and using a few clever methods to cut back on alcohol.

These refreshingly accessible tips bring us to my closing remarks. I’ll leave you with this.

My articles sometimes cop a bit of flak because people think it’s blindingly obvious that you should eat well, sleep well and exercise regularly – and it is. But that doesn’t mean everyone is doing it. Very few are, in fact.

What I’m trying to do here is give you systems that lower the barrier to entry for these healthy habits, allowing you to incorporate them into your life with minimal fuss.

Some will work for you, some will not – such is life. But if even one takes root, and leaves you feeling a little better than you did before, then my work here has been worthwhile.

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