We've had a great summer of sport this year, but many of us will have sat down to watch the footballers, tennis players, Olympians and Paralympians while not actually participating in any sport ourselves. Many people find it hard to achieve the recommended 150 minutes of exercise a week, whether that's because we're busy, motivation is hard to find, exercise can be tiresome to do alone, the gym is too expensive, or there aren't any exercise classes nearby, or perhaps a combination of all of these. And these 'excuses' can indeed be real barriers. 

Think hard about the things that stop you from getting enough exercise and this will help you to empathise with your customers. As a pharmacy assistant, you may simply feel too tired to exercise after a busy day. Physical activity is undoubtedly good for our health, and explaining the benefits can be a good way to get your customers motivated. The easiest way to increase physical activity is often to build it into day-to-day life, such as walking to work or getting off the bus one stop earlier than usual, walking up the stairs rather than taking the lift or even taking a shopping trip rather than shopping online. Working in a pharmacy and being on your feet all day means you probably do a significant number of steps. Why not get a pedometer to find out? Although they're not totally accurate, these provide a useful guide as to whether you are close to the recommended 10,000 steps a day.