Tips for Making Exercise a Priority

If you are like me, the holiday season leaves you feeling frazzled, stressed and worn out.  It is hard enough to find the time to do the things you have to, never mind fitting in the 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week that the Department of Health and Human Services has recommended as a minimum guideline.  You may be thinking "there is no way I can do that."  But think again: If you are constantly on the go, have an irregular schedule and have not been exercising, you put yourself at risk for developing a variety of not so fun musculoskeletal and cardiac conditions that will make everything you do even more difficult.  Why do you think we are in business? 

If I convince myself that I don't have time for exercise, then it doesn't happen, even when I put it on my schedule.  So, finding time for exercise is a mindset.  You need to schedule the time, and then stay committed to using that time to exercise.  Setting personal fitness goals over certain time periods prior to initiating a program will help you to stay consistent with your exercise program........as long as you don't talk yourself out of it.  

The "golden rule" of exercise is that some exercise is always better than none!!  Perhaps you cannot devote 1½ hours to go to the gym each day.  Can you can take a 15-minute walk at lunch, take the stairs instead of the elevator to your next sales meeting or play catch with your kids before dinner? Every little bit helps, especially if you can exercise for 10 minutes or longer doing something that gets your heart beating faster and makes you slightly out of breath.

Here are some other ways to sneak exercise into your overloaded days:

• Walk with the kids to school.
• Have a "dance party" with the kids after school.
• Meet a friend for a walk rather than for coffee.
• Clean one room every day at a fast pace; play upbeat music to get you moving while you clean.
• Do stretches while watching television.
• Wear a pedometer. Challenge yourself to walk a few steps more every day. 
• Walk your dog if you have one. He/she will love you for it.  (If you don't have one, offer to walk your neighbor's dog!!)

Finally, check out the All Access Fitness Acadmey!!! We can show you new and fun ways to exercise, how to get the most out of short bursts of exercise in our facility or in your home as well as ways to strength train  using free weights or exercise bands while working out with us or while you watch your favorite television show at home.  

In the end, you will find that exercise reduces stress and can leave you feeling less frazzled and less tired at the end of each day.  It will also give you more energy to do the things you want or need to do in life.