January Exercise Challenge

The following is a link to a short 9 minute video by Dr. Mike Evans, a professor at the University of Toronto and a physician at St. Michael's Hospital.  Please, please watch it!  You will find that dedicating just 30 minutes of your day can dramatically improve your physical and emotional health. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo&feature=youtu.be

Give it a try...get up and get moving!  No more excuses!  It is easy to find reasons to avoid exercise, but why?  It has so many health benefits. You will feel less stressed and anxious and be more happy and energetic.

I know, I know, we all have really busy lives.  But isn't your life worth living to the fullest extent?  Don't just go through the motions just to make it through the day.  Take just 30 minutes of your day and go for a walk or do something physically active.  You will feel awake and rejuvenated. 

To make this work, you must plan and dedicate 30 minutes of your day to physical exercise.   Do what works for you, but just do it! 

Here are some tips for fitting exercise into your schedule:

• Wake up half an hour earlier and exercise in the morning
• Walk or run on your treadmill while supper is in the oven
• Walk or bike to work or the store
• Walk the dog
• Take your kids on a walk
• Take an exericise class at a local gym
• Walk and talk with a friend
• Take an exercise class with a friend
• Walk laps in the store
• Take a swim
• Take a walk on your lunch break
• Watch (and do) a workout video (there are lots of videos on Netflix and youtube)
• Vigorously vacuum/mop your entire house
• Take a walk or run while you are waiting to pick your child up from practice (always keep a pair of walking/running shoes in your car)
• Do walking lunges, squats, push-ups, sit-ups, jumping jacks in a circuit around your house
• Jump rope, lift some free weights, and do mountain climbers in a circuit in your garage or basement
• Turn the music up and have a dance party!  Your kids will love this one!
• Play interactive fitness games on the Wii or Xbox
• Go sledding
• Go skiing or snowboarding

My guess is that once you get into the routine of exercising, you will look forward to it, and NEED it to keep you feeling happy and healthy.

So, here is my challenge to you:  do some form of exercise at least 30 minutes every day for the rest of January.  That is just 3 weeks, 21 days to get yourself into a healthy routine.  Start by writing down your goal on a calendar and share your goal with those around you.  Hopefully, others will even join you in this challenge.  It's always nice to use the buddy system for support.  Mark down what you did on your calendar every day and how it made you feel.  After those 3 weeks, read back over your calendar/notes and see what you have accomplished.  At this point you will, hopefully, be motivated to continue exercising every day.  Start today and send me messages or post comments to let me know how you are doing!  I will be doing this challenge as well and I will do my best to post my accomplishments every day.

For my exercise today, I ran 30 minutes on my treadmill and lifted some free weights.

Now, it's your turn!