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Chances are you know someone who loves to run marathons. They may post their race victories on Facebook every few weeks, or you might even see daily updates from their running apps that notify you of just how many miles they ran that day. There are some people who just love to be active, and when you aren’t one of those people it can sometimes be difficult to understand what makes them do it.

There is a difference between scheduling regular workouts to help you lose weight and embracing an active lifestyle. The runner referenced above lives an active lifestyle. When you begin to live an active lifestyle it becomes easier to keep up with your workouts and to reach new activity goals because you are constantly ready to get up and go.

Those marathon runners aren’t born that way. They work towards achieving their goals by making physical activity a part of their everyday life. You don’t need to have a marathon medal in your sights to adopt this mentality of becoming a more active person. Embracing activity at any level in your life is the key to reaching your workout goals, and in turn, reaching your weight loss goals.

Staying Active vs. Working Out

The ultimate formula to help you lose weight is to eat less and move more. But moving more doesn’t mean that you have to become a total gym rat. The reality is that there are a lot of people out there who just don’t like to work out. Running, lifting weights or hitting up an aerobics class may not be your cup of tea, and that is fine.

You don’t have to love working out to find enjoyable ways to become more active. Moving more can happen anywhere, from in your office building to at home in your den, to out in nature or any of your favorite spots around town. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, engaging in moderate intensity activities, like brisk walking, for more than 250 minutes per week will typically provide clinically significant weight loss results—especially when combined with weight loss surgery and a healthy diet.

250 minutes per week adds up to about four hours a week. To fit this into your schedule, try getting more active doing the things you already enjoy. For example, going for a walk on your lunch break can help you fit in 20 minutes during the middle of the day. Staying on your feet and doing basic exercises with light weights or even a yoga ball at home while watching your favorite TV shows can help you fit in another half an hour. You don’t have to abandon your evening and go to the gym, just find ways to make the time you are already spending more active. Doing so can help improve your health and encourage your weight loss progress.