One of the hottest fitness trends for 2019 is incidental fitness you know, the kind of exercise you barely notice taking the stairs instead of the lift, parking the car as far from the shops as you can, standing up for meetings

But if you really want to next-level your incidental fitness, you might want to think about swerving the bus, car or train on your morning commute in favour of your bike. The health rewards are astonishing.

According to a five-year study by the University of Glasgow, a daily bike ride could prolong your life by reducing the risk of death of cardiovascular disease.

And before you start arguing that the participants were probably lycra-clad Tour de France wannabes, they actually only averaged 30 miles per week (three miles each way, five days a week).

Still dont fancy getting back in the saddle? Running or walking to work, indeed any regular exercise can also massively improve your health and well-being.

Why? Because exercise helps us burn calories and fat, and improves muscle strength and lung function. Plus, according to research by Harvard University, exercise could lower blood pressure as the heart becomes stronger, it pumps more blood around the body with less effort, reducing the pressure on arteries.

It promotes a healthy mind too. Exercise sends endorphins around your body, which improves your mood and confidence, says celebrity trainer Chris Richardson of Zero Gravity Pilates. Still not convinced? A study by the University of Nebraska reveals aerobic exercise such as cycling or running may reduce depression and anxiety.

1 Walking

Why try it: If youre new to exercise, it can ramp up your fitness gradually, while still burning around 300 calories an hour.

Step it up: Add ankle and/or arm weights to increase the body weight youre moving: it will elevate your energy output and burn more calories. Or why not inject interval training to boost your heart rate? Speed-walk for one minute, then reduce the pace for 30 seconds and repeat.

2 Running

Why try it: This full-body workout can burn around 600 calories an hour. Plus, its high-impact, which studies show can help strengthen the skeleton in older people.

Step it up: Download PaceDJ (Free, iOS). It matches your playlist to your preferred running pace, to ensure you stay on track and dont slack off.

3 Cycling

Why try it: It targets your largest muscle your glutes to help you reduce fat and burn on average 300 calories per hour if you take it slow; much more if youve got some pace on. And, as its low-impact, it can be a less painful form of cardio for people with bad knees or ankle joints.

Step it up: Sign up to tracking app Strava. You can measure your distance and time and even compete with other users cycling the same route.

Find out about whether your company offers a Cycle to Work scheme to subsidise the cost of a new bike.

Avoid pollution:Ditch the main roads for side streets and you could cut toxic fumes by 53 per cent, according to a study by Kings College London.

Visit walkit.com to plan a less-polluted commute.

To help you support your health and well-being outside and in, Centrum has partnered with Telegraph Spark to help you make small yet effective changes*.

Centrum wants to motivate you to boost your health in a simple, enjoyable and sustainable way. Working with leading experts and nutritionists, exercise and wellness brands, we have curated a wealth of tip-packed, easy-to-follow content from healthy eating ideas to on-trend activities and ways to de-stress and relax. Centrums range of multivitamins is specially tailored to help support you every day based on your age, gender, lifestyle and nutritional needs.*

To find out more, and discover which Centrum is right for you, visit centrum.co.uk

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Why the health benefits of cycling to work could prolong your life - Telegraph.co.uk