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Health & Fitness

Discover Your Exercise IQ

When it comes to staying fit, half the battle is discovering which exercise best fits your lifestyle and temperament.  By considering the following questions, you can hone in on what’s going to get you excited about moving your body on a consistent basis!

 

Do You Need to Lose a Lot of Weight?

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If so, you want to start out small and simple.  Begin by walking, increasing distance and pace a little bit each week.  Look for opportunities throughout the day to be more active such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and parking far from wherever you’re going.  That way, you reap the benefits of being active by taking small, consistent steps that build the foundation of fitness.  Look for fun ways to workout, whether it’s playing with young children or plugging in the Wii Fit!

 

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Do You Prefer Being Social?

If so, solo outings will make you unhappy and unmotivated to stick to a workout routine.  Look for group classes such as Zumba, spinning, yoga or dance to help you find a tribe of automatic fitness friends.  Go to meetup.com and look for hiking groups or walking groups or create your own cycling group or a swimming group that gathers in the evenings or on weekends for outings.  Forcing yourself to go on a solitary swim will only get you so far.

 

The Gym Not Your Thing?

You’re not alone! Many folks feel that way.  We are so lucky to live in sunny Southern California where the great outdoors is at your disposal all year long -- and it’s a fitness playground.  You can treat your backyard as your personal gym and do all the calisthenics you’d do inside (for much less money). You can lace up your trail runners and hit the pavement or head to the nearest hill for a hike.  If you’re social and hate the gym, see the suggestions above for other ways to keep active without having to change in a locker room.

 

Do You Need a Challenge?

If so, enter a race.  You know you have something to work towards, people to train with and a goal to meet which should motivate you to keep at it. On the other hand, if the kind of challenge you need is associated with a feeling of having plateaued with your workouts, you may want to invest in a personal trainer who can push you to the next level. 

 

Are You Strapped for Time?

Try to make even the most mundane activities a little bit more strenuous.  When you need to take a bathroom break during the day, walk extra fast to get there and take the longest route.  You can also maximize office time by doing squats while you are waiting for the next conference call, dropping some paper clips and bending down to pick them up, doing some pushups on the side of your desk or hop in place for five-ten minutes during your lunch hour.

 

A Great Resource for Exercising: 

I thought you might be interested in an exercise program that I use in my living room.  It's Workouts On Demand.  They provide an exercise video download service with hundreds of workout videos on everything from pilates and yoga to toning and cardio dance, to step aerobics and cardio kickboxing and more.   There are express workouts that are 10 minutes or less and other workouts that are over 30 minutes. 

 

The link below to take you to their home page.

 

http://workoutsondemand.com/amember/go.php?r=6054&i=l0

 

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