Easy Everyday Exercises

The sad reality is that without exercise you are never really going to be truly healthy and able to function at your peak. Believe me when I tell you I wish (and sometimes pray) that there were other options but after decades of experience I am here to be your mirror mirror on the wall and to tell you that if you truly want to be your maintain and improve your health you MUST exercise.

Now that does not mean that you have to devote four hours a day to going to the gym and redoing your family room to make it into a fitness center there are a number of easy and creative ways to bring more exercise into your everyday life and one of the biggest payoff's is that once you begin to exercise your body will crave movement and you will also find that your food cravings change. When you make a commitment to your body your body does respond.

Here are a few simple tips to get started. Anyone who has read an article about exercise and fitness and how to easily incorporate these things into your life has read these suggestions before and the reason is because they work.

1. Take the stairs. Yes everyone says take the stairs but I really mean it take the stairs. If you need to start by taking the stairs down at the end of the day. Make a commitment to do this everyday for four weeks. Just down. You will be surprised when at the end of one or two weeks you automatically go to the stairs instead of the elevator. It becomes a habit. At the end of four weeks at least think about taking the stairs on your way up. Maybe you start off doing it one day a week. Just try.

2. Park further away from your building and when you go shopping. Remember to be safe. Park under a light. The reality is that you will save time if you are just willing to suck it up and park further away. You will not waste time driving around looking for a parking space. Think of it as doing a small favor for the planet. You are using less gas by parking further away. Same thing with the stairs, when you are walking the elevators are in sleep mode.

3. Buy a pedometer. Once again this is a common suggestion because it works. For the first two weeks just wear it and track how many steps that you walk. There is no judgment. After two weeks average the number of steps that you take in a day and then make a commitment to incorporate an extra hundred steps a day for the next week. Once your first week is over add another hundred steps. Do this every week until you are up to ten thousand steps. Remember this is not a contest or a competition. This is you taking control of your health.

4. If you can afford it join a gym. Ask for a thirty day membership trial and then see if you like the gym you picked. It may take you a few try's to find one where you feel like you fit in. There are a number of factors that you should take into consideration. How many classes are offered and how big are they? What is the locker room like? For some people the locker room is just a place to change for others the locker room is the best part of the gym. Personally I am much more likely to go and exercise when I know I have the option of taking a steam and sitting in a whirlpool at the end of my spinning class

5. Remember that exercise is your choice. No one is making you exercise you are doing it as an outward manifestation of loving yourself. Some people do love to exercise and they do not have to work at incorporating it into their daily routine. Lucky them. For the rest of us we have to make a commitment. If you fall off the wagon it is OK. Welcome to the human race. Start again. Start slowly. Be kind to yourself remember the purpose and the goal of exercise is to improve your health and I can promise you that when you do exercise and make a decision that for today you will respect your body you will feel better.

So good luck, have fun, be kind and now go take a walk.