Six Ways to Find Time to Exercise

In today's busy world it's hard to schedule or find time to exercise. It can be difficult, but frequently being "too busy" is all too often an excuse for not exercising at all.

Iowa Avenue is here to help................)

Here are six ideas to put exercise back into your daily, weekly, and monthly routine:

1. Walking and running clubs make exercise more gratifying because you get to join others, which makes it fun. A non-profit organization, seeMOMMYrun is a group "for moms of all ages and stages (and their kids)." It's a great place to meet women who have busy schedules, but still want to get into shape. There are 3,357 groups nationwide, so there might be one near you.

2. Wake up early to fit your exercise into your busy schedule. I know it's not always easy, but many times I have just grabbed a cup of coffee and headed out the door for my walk. With most people still sleeping or just awaking, the morning's can be very calm and peaceful to have time for you. You'd be surprised at how well you'll feel to start your day off with exercise.

3. If you find you're busy during the week, and only able to exercise for shorter periods of time, use the weekend to catch up. However, don't be a "weekend warrior" and push yourself too hard and risk injury. Don't over exert yourself, but put in the time. Hopefully, your weekend exercise will crossover into the weekdays. Check out the Weekend section of your local paper for details of special events or activities taking place in your neighborhood.

4. Walk as much as possible. For college students, opportunity abounds with walking leading the way. For students, it is part of daily life-- walking to class, going to the library, or walking with friends around campus. If you're out of college, try walking instead of using your car for going to the store, post office, or for other simple routines. It's healthy and green, so you'll be doing good and doing well at the same time. If you are at an office full time, use your lunchtime to go for a walk-it will do wonders for your attitude and performance.

5. Family excursions are a great way to exercise. Be a role model for your children and make family trips a priority. Check out the National Parks system or US State Parks. It might surprise you what may be just around the corner. For our friends who live in Canada, try the Parks Canada Agency.

6. Exercise at home. It's not hard; you might find that you'll enjoy it. I do them all the time. There are strength training routines, cardio routines, and quite a few others. The library is full of DVDs that might work for you. Of course, if you find one you like, you can purchase it. Plus, exercise programs are available on TV. Another idea is to purchase an exercise machine. Shop around, look for online reviews, and check out the best price. Then you're free to exercise whenever you want.

Can you think of anything I missed in my list? Do you want to add one?

Get involved, write a comment-drop us a suggestion; I'd love to add to this our list, because

After all, it's about a healthy lifestyle!

Iowa Avenue