Caring for your Physical Body

As a wife, mom, author and exercise scientist I have a
lot of things pulling me in different directions. I'm
sure all of you can relate. I'm often asked how I fit
in exercise. The truth - I get up at 5:30 a.m. Not
fun, but well worth it.

I promise if you make time for exercise, you will reap
the benefits: lose weight, increase tone and strength,
decrease the risk of contracting various illnesses and
improve your brain power. People who are fit not only
enjoy higher quality of life, they also have a higher
income.

Have I convinced you to try some exercise yet? Great.
Here are a few ways to get started.

#1 – Find out what you love and do it. Join a tennis
league, go on a walk, join a gym, run, bike, dance,
crawl. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you
get off that couch and move.

#2 – Wear a pedometer. It's a great motivator. When I
wear mine I actually run down the stairs to talk to my
boys instead of yelling over the railing! Make sure
you’re doing more than 10,000 steps a day and you will
reap the benefits.

#3 – Eat in moderation. The best diets include all the
good things nature has to offer: whole grains, fruits,
vegetables, lean meats, dairy, etc. Throw in a little
chocolate or Diet Coke for sanity’s sake and you’ve
got yourself a winner.

#4 – Portion control. You can eat almost anything you
want if you’ll eat small servings and keep track of
what you eat during the day.

#5 – Turn off the television. Whenever clients tell me
they can’t fit in exercise I ask them how much t.v.
they watch a day. I’ve never had someone say zero. If
you really must see American Idol, please dance with
them, run the stairs during commercials or stash your
hand weights next to the couch so you can reach for
them during the show.

#6 – Lift weights. Many women are afraid of weights.
Don’t be. Weight training is fun and easy to learn.
Buy a book on weight-lifting, look online for advice,
hire a personal trainer, find a friend who knows what
she’s doing and trade a favor, or read my blog:
fitmomma.blogstream.com.
Lifting weights will increase your metabolism
significantly, decrease your risk of osteoporosis,
make you look and feel better, and is the best way to
stay fit for life.

#7 – Try to move as much as possible. Pace or do
squats while you talk on the phone. Run the diaper to
the trash instead of practicing your pitch. Dance
around the kitchen while you cook. Roll a tennis ball
under your foot while you work – it’ll keep you moving
and it’s a great foot massage. Replace your office
chair with an exercise ball and squeeze your abs and
glutes while you sit.

#8 – Give yourself a free day. One day a week don’t
write down what you eat, don’t exercise and let
yourself eat dessert, nachos or whatever you desire.
If I have that free day to look forward to I can
handle depriving myself during the week. Also, it’s
almost impossible to undo the good of six days in one
bad day.

#9 – Remember to take baby steps. Start by taking a
short walk or bike ride with your kids or buying some
exercise bands and playing around with them while you
watch t.v. Every year I try to change one bad habit.
It’s a gradual process. If you take it slowly you
won’t feel frustrated or deprived. The important thing
is to keep improving and realize these are life-long
changes, not a crash diet or quick fix.

Improving your health will affect every aspect of your
life. Give it a try and see how much better you think
and feel.


Cami Checketts' blog - fitmomma.blogstream.com offers
daily fitness advice and strength training routines.
Visit her website – www.camichecketts.com to read
excerpts of her novels or print out healthy recipes
and strength training guides.


Cami Checketts
http://www.camichecketts.com
http://fitmomma.blogstream.com