Escalators. Leaf blowers. Riding lawn mowers. Self propelled vacuum cleaners. Remote controls. Power windows.

Little by little we have managed to engineer physical activity out of our lives, says Russell Pate, Ph.D., professor and chairperson of the department of exercise science at the University of South Carolina in Columbia. In fact, a Scottish researcher estimates that people in the United Kingdom burn 800 fewer calories a day compared to 25 years ago,

In the United States, 60 percent of the population incorporates little or no physical activity into their lives, If you're among America's legion of couch potatoes, here's some good news: You don't have to take up tennis or become a marathon runner to enjoy the benefits of exercise. Research shows simply increasing your physical activity provides the same health benefits as a structured exercise programwhich is why most experts now recommend trying to work 30 minutes of accumulated moderate activity into your day.

The key word here is accumulated. Ten minutes here and there of raking, vacuuming, walking, and playing catch with the kids all adds up. "To make your lifestyle more active, think about what you need to do each day and how you can make those tasks more physical," Dr. Clarkson suggests. That may mean selling the leaf blower and canning your cleaning lady. Or you can try some of the following lifestyle makeover tips from our experts.

Turn off the TV. "The first step toward improving your fitness is limiting your sedentary activity," Dr. Nelson says. And one of the most common inactive pastimes is watching TV. Even if you're not a channel surfing TV junkie, you probably turn on the set at least a few times a week. Try to cut back by 1 hour every week until you've managed to trim an hour of sitcoms, soaps, or game shows from each day. You'll be surprised at how much time you'll have on your hands.

If you can't bear to miss an episode of NYPD Blue, then put a piece of exercise equipmentlike a treadmill or stationary bike in front of the tube and turn your TV time into a workout, suggests Dr. Ross.

Walk and talk. If you have a cordless telephone, take advantage of your wireless freedom. Walk around the house or up and down the stairs while chatting on the phone. You'll catch up with your friends while you catch a short workout.

Dodge the drive through. More and more service businesses are installing drive up windows for our convenience: banks, fast food restaurants, even drugstores and photo developers. "As we take on these conveniences, we don't realize how much they decrease the amount of physical activity in our daily lives," Dr. Clarkson says. So resist the quick convenience of the drive up window and walk into the bank to make your transaction.

Pick the farthest spot. When it comes to your health, the best parking spot is not the one that's closest. Park a few blocks away, and you can work in a quick walk, Dr. Pate says.

Take the stairs. Make a conscious effort to use the stairs instead of an elevator or escalator, Dr. Pate says. It may not seem that significant, but think about how often you'd opt for stairs. Every day? Once a week? A few times a month? No matter what, it can really add up. '

Eliminate e mail. If you send e mail to coworkers who are in the next office or just down the hall, consider taking an e mail vacation. Deliver the message in person, and you'll save yourself from gaining 11 pounds over a decade. That's how much weight a Stanford University researcher calculated you would gain if you spent 2 minutes an hour sending e mails to coworkers instead of walking down the hall to speak to them.

Pay the pound a visit. Getting a dog may help get you off your duff. Pups make great walking partners and they don't let you off the hook easily when a walk may not be what you had in mind.

Plant a garden.Playing in the dirt was fun when we were kids. And now that we're grownups, we can make more than mud pies. Whether you grow flowers, herbs, or vegetables, you'll burn almost as many calories as taking a moderate aerobics class plus you'll connect with the earth, says Dr. Nelson.