10 Ways To Get Fit

By Mitzi Dulan and condensed.

(1) Commit Yourself - Just do it and get started now! Develop a plan of action and stick with it. Your owe it to yourself and to your family

(2) Set Your Goals - short term and long term and allow yourself rewards when you meet them. For example, set a short term goal to exercise 3 to 4 times per week for 30 minutes of cardio and 30 minutes of strength training. The long term goal could be to lose weight or lower your cholesterol level. A sample reward would be that when you meet your goals, you treat yourself to a facial, a new outfit, a movie or an evening without the kids.

(3) Abandon An All or Nothing Attitude - don’t think of your exercise routine as an all or nothing approach. If something comes up and you don’t get to exercise as planned, just get back on track the next day. When you set realistic goals, understand that sometimes you will meet your goals and other times you won’t. If you don’t reach your goals, don’t give up and just do what you can. Keep moving and you will feel much happier. A great exercise program is a great way to relieve stress.

(4) Don’t Overdo It - Set goals that will enable you to improve your fitness level without overdoing it. Some people try to exercise daily once they start an exercise program. This can often lead to burnout and even to discontinuing your exercise program all together.

(5) Be Efficient - Find out your target heart rate range and aim for the upper end of it. Make sure that you are working out at a good intensity level. Make sure that you break a sweat. Also, the higher the intensity level, the more total calories you burn per minute of exercise. Don’t overdo it, don’t work out so hard that you can only exercise for a short period of time. Your goal should be 3-4 times per week for 30 to 45 minutes of continuous activity. At first, you might need to take a break here and there but as you become accustom to your activity and you become fit, you will be able to exercise longer and longer.

(6) Schedule It - If you get overwhelmed at work, don’t skip your workout. Treat your workout like a business meeting. Write it in your planner and keep the appointment. You will perform better at work if you are taking care of yourself.

(7) Make Exercise Easy - Pack your exercise clothes the night before and have them ready. Don’t hit the snooze button when you have a workout planned. Go straight to the gym from work if going home first makes you less likely to go to the gym. Reduce and eliminate any barriers that takes you away from your exercise routine.

(8) Get Adventurous - Add variety to your fitness routine. Try new activities to avoid boredom. Make Fitness Fun! Think of new ways to add fun to your routine. Try tennis, hiking, biking or Family Olympics. How about kayaking? Check out local hiking or biking trails in your area. Have the trainer at the gym show you how to use that new piece of equipment you’ve been eyeing.

(9) Do It At Home - If you can’t make it to the gym, don’t let that be an excuse. Do the basic and get a set of dumbbells according to your level of fitness. Start out with a set of 3 or 5 pound weights. You can purchase them for less than $10 at your local sports store or discount store.

(10) Enlist an Exercise Buddy - You will motivate each other on those days when you don’t want to exercise. It always helps to have a friend to exercise with.