Does your child dread the day care at the gym? Do you feel guilty leaving your little one to get a workout? Are you too busy to squeeze in some exercise, or worse just plain too tired?

Try these no-brainer tips that can get you to do 30 minutes of exercise every day, which incidentally does not have to be done all at once. According to the American Heart Association, a person can exercise in increments of 10 minutes, three times a day and still reap the same benefits as a person who does one 30-minute session. Feel free to laugh while reading or conducting any of the activities listed below.

1. Make your dentist proud. How many of us really brush our teeth for two minutes? This is the easiest way to start your blood flowing while making sure your pearly whites stay that way. March in place for the first 60 seconds while brushing your teeth. You can use a timer or just count. Squat or do leg lifts for the next 60 seconds. Do this in the morning and at night and you’ve already covered 4 minutes of your basic daily requirement.

2. Make your bed. Make all of the beds! Why not multi-task while doing something mundane? Take all of the blankets and pillows off the bed, but do it with vigor. Lift your arms up high and punch those pillows to fluff them. Walk around your bed and make sure all the sheets are in perfect order, straightened, the right length. Another 2 minutes of exercise has just gone by!

3. Got stairs? Use them! Put on your shoes, or not and climb, climb, climb! Try climbing up and down five times, working up to 20 times over the next few weeks. Say “hello” to firmer glutes with another 3 minutes lopped off.

4. Say “yes” more often. If we said “yes” to more of the things our children asked of us, we wouldn’t worry about exercising as much. I’m not referring to things like candy or letting your kids jump off the couch onto their siblings. I mean things like “Mommy, will you play with me?” or “Will you push me on the swings?” Don’t get me wrong. We all need a break some time and parking it at the park with our friends while our kids play might possibly be the only adult interaction we have in a day. But why not divide the time and think in terms of numbers? If your child wants you to push her on the swings, instead of saying “in a minute,” tell her you will push her 25 times. Engage your abdominal muscle and push her 25 times. Then go back to talking to your friends. Chase her on the play structure five times then run around the sand box with her for another five laps and you’ve knocked off 7 to 10 minutes of your daily requirement. Why not get your friends to join you and turn it into an exercise play date?

5. Walk it, work it. This is one my favorite ways to work out. If it is safe for you to do so, park a little further away in the lot of the grocery store, school, doctor’s office or your workplace. Go for a walk with a friend, neighbor, co-worker, your husband, your kids or your dog. If you live near a park, have your kids ride their bikes or walk with you instead of driving. On rainy days, I used to take my kids to the mall and window shop. You can count on knocking off 3 to 15 minutes for doing this one.

6. A way to unload. Unless you really need it, decline the help to have your groceries brought out to your car. Strap your kids in their seat belts and go to work unloading. Since kids don’t like to be restrained you will have to work fast, which will in turn, get your blood flowing. Knock off another 3 minutes.

7. See cleaning up in a whole new light. I figure, we have to do it anyway, so why not make it fun? Play music that really gets you moving. The faster the beat the faster you’ll move. I do lunges as I am picking things up, I reach a little higher when putting things in cabinets, I scrub a little harder, mop with more vigor. I basically dance while I’m cleaning and suddenly, I’m not at irritated as I was when I first walked into the mess. Set your timer for 15 minutes and cross that off your exercise list. Even your kids can help you with this one. A two year old can put a plastic bowl away in a cupboard that is at her level. If you haven’t done so already, clear out a lower cabinet for plastic bowls, cups and dishes that your toddler can help put away.

8. Use your back yard! We try to do this at least three times a week, homework permitting. Get a couple of those brightly colored lightweight plastic balls at the grocery store and go to town! Start by playing catch or rolling the balls to your toddler. If you are the one constantly retrieving the balls, I guarantee you’ll get some exercise. If your children are older, you can be the “goalie” as they try to score by kicking multiple balls your way so you can block and return them. I also play badminton and croquet with my girls. Do this for at least 10 minutes and everyone will benefit.

9. March to the beat of your own drum. Sometimes a little movement is all we need to blast a bad or tired mood away. You can put some pep in your step if you just march when you are doing different things throughout the day. For instance, are you washing dishes? March. Are you talking on the phone? March. What about cooking? March. Are you feeling cold? March. Tired and out of energy? March. You get the idea. Of course, this should be done preferably while in the privacy of your own home or office so you can avoid funny looks from others.

10. Have a dance party. This one is the best if you’ve had a rotten day. I find that getting out the tunes from my “golden days” (high school) really help me out. I love tapping it out to the best of the 70’s and 80’s collections. Were you a dancing queen or a club-goer in your days before kids? Nothing brings out those dance floor moves faster than the music that encouraged them in the first place. This is the best way to introduce movement to your children. It is never too early to start. Remember, we are the biggest role models to our kids. When they see us moving, they want to move too. What better way to encourage fitness at a young age? Do this for 30 minutes or more and call it a day!

Good luck and let me know how you do.