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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Find Time for Fitness

As a fitness enthusiast and certified personal trainer, people often ask me how I'm able to stay fit while still being able to maintain an active, social lifestyle. We all want to be able to squeeze as much as possible into our daily lives--work, fitness, fun, family, friends, hobbies and we still want some downtime to simply relax. Often times, the first thing to go from our busy schedules is fitness and for many of us, that leads to frustrations as we start to feel increasingly uncomfortable in our own skin. It doesn't have to be that way. With a little creativity, we can all incorporate fitness into our daily routines which will lead to increased energy levels as well as an improved appearance. All it takes is 20-30 minutes a day, which you can even break up throughout the day. Also, it's worth pointing out that the harder you work, the less time you have to spend actually working out. Isn't it worth finding the time to build a better you? The benefits of an active lifestyle are immense. Not only will you feel better, your friends and family will notice and appreciate your improved lifestyle. Think it's too good to be true? Still have your doubts? Then I have a challenge for you and I'm here to help you along the way.

First, get out your planner or calendar, wherever you keep your daily schedule. Look at the upcoming 7 days and figure out where you can set aside 20 minutes just for you. Could you get up 20 minutes earlier? Maybe you could spare 20 minutes of your lunchtime. Perhaps you have breaks throughout the day which could be made more productive. Even if you only have 10 minutes here and 10 minutes there, find at least 20 minutes each day. Got it?

Next, set aside those 20 minutes each day for the next week. Go ahead and write "fitness" in your planner as you would any other appointment and stick to it. You wouldn't stand your doctor up, so why stand yourself up. Commit yourself to exercising just 20 minutes a day for the next 7 days.

Then, decide just what it is you want to do. Do you like to walk? Maybe biking is more your style. I love my beach cruiser and riding it doesn't even feel like exercise. Maybe you'd like to try jogging. Don't get discouraged if you can't jog a consistent 20 minutes your first time out. Try jogging for a minute, then walking for 2 minutes and continuing that pattern while working your way up to running for longer periods of time. Maybe you hate the heat so swimming is more your style. Get out in the pool or the ocean. You can even lift weights, but be sure you know what you're doing so you don't hurt yourself. If you're not sure what you enjoy, try a variety of things. You can even do four different activities for five minutes each. If you like the gym, great, use it, but being fit does not require a costly gym membership. Just find something you enjoy doing and get your body moving. You can do it!

The benefits of exercise go beyond just physical appearance. Benefits include increased energy, stronger immune systems, fewer sick days, healthier body systems, etc. The list goes on and on and on. With rising healthcare costs and a unstable economy, you likely want to do everything in your power to limit visits to the doctor and time off work. So in actuality, fitting in fitness could end up saving you money, something we all like to do. Especially if you're not convinced or if you've never committed to a fitness routine before, consider it an experiment. Figure out if all the hype over exercise is really true. I have a feeling you'll find you enjoy it and I can't wait to hear what you think. Let me know your thoughts, feelings, questions, etc. at plankerpower@gmail.com This world needs more fit, healthy people and I want to help as many people as possible, including you, to discover the benefits of an active lifestyle.


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