Funny Story!  When I was writing my outline of thoughts and ideas regarding what to write for March regarding fitness and exercise, I was debating whether to get a workout in or not! Truth be told, I wasn’t very motivated to workout! So I thought to myself, how can I really write about fitness & exercise and blow off my work out? That isn’t going to be a very good example of how to stick with our program even on those days when we are least motivated. Let’s face it, after a long day of work, with a crazy drive home in bumper to bumper traffic, then to get dinner on the table, and spend time with my family, exercise was the last thing on my list. But, as you can clearly see, this is the challenge we all face when we are trying to improve our health, fitness, and weight. So how do we really get our move on? Try these 7 tips!

1. Know your why – While we’ve all learned how important exercise and staying fit is for our overall health, it’s important to know our individual reasons why exercise will make a difference in our lives. In my life, exercise, staying fit and healthy helps me stay active, help my joints, balance, strength, and it’s a great stress reliever. Another thing I notice about exercise, it keeps my food cravings in check.
2. Set A Goal – There’s a lot of information regarding goal setting. Whether in a business, school or personal environment, ideally our goals should be S.M.A.R.T (Specific – very simply written to clearly define what you are going to do, Measurable, Achievable, Results-focused, Time -as in linked to a time frame). An example of this is: I’m going to workout 4 days per week, 1 hour per session, with a combination of activities to include aerobics and resistance training (water aerobics, walking, treadmill or elliptical machine, Zumba or dancing, circuit training, free weights and weight machines. I will track my workouts on my fitness pal, using my Fitbit ionic watch which will record my total calories burned for each workout.
3. Push Forward – I’m not a big “JUST DO IT” fan! I think that phrase is overcooked actually. So how do we keep going? I just push forward. Take today, for example,  I was trying to figure out whether to head back out to the gym, walk on my treadmill or do a Zumba class on YouTube! So I put my shoes on and thought, ok, treadmill it is. Then, at the last-minute, I changed my mind and decided to take a brisk walk/jog in my neighborhood! I just kept talking to myself and pushed myself to stick my plan and get a workout in. I will say, when I was out there, it was a beautiful evening, there was a wonderful breeze and it was peaceful as I walked and jogged. I was so glad I did it and was really proud of myself for keeping the commitment to myself.
4. Take it slow – One of my favorite sayings is, “the race isn’t for the swiftest, but the one who endures to the end.” Sometimes when we begin a new exercise plan, our enthusiasm gets the best of us. It’s very easy overdue it. So, be careful to pay attention to your body and how you feel.
5. Partner Up/Buddy Up – there’s strength in numbers and it’s great to have someone else to help keep us focused and on track especially on those days when we aren’t very motivated to exercise.
6. Track progress – it’s about progress, not perfection. There are lots of ways to track progress. Take body measurements, track steps and see how much we add over time. Track the time or distance and watch those numbers increase as our fitness level improves. Steady progress over time produces the long-lasting results we are all looking for.
7. Be consistent – Consistency is KEY. Keeping a regular schedule or routine is one of the most overlooked principles. But guess what? consistency is possible to improve. If we make a commitment to ourselves to remain consistent and work at it without giving up, then we are one step closer to achieving our goals.