Day 1 of This Week

Walk day one of the routes you have set for goals this week.

What… no goals?

Get to it! I’m nagging you!

TODAY: WALK

Your Diet Is A Stretch

You need to do a bit of warm up before your daily walk to increase the effectiveness of the exercise and reduce any stiffness that might come later. There are just a few to do to give you a great start.

Hamstrings (back of legs)

1. Sit on the edge of your bed with one leg up and the other on the floor and reach with both hands until you feel the stretch in the back of the leg.

Calf stretch

1. Stand at arms length away from a wall and lean against it.

2. Put one leg straight back and the other bent under you.

3. Keep your back straight and lean your hips forward.

4. Keep rear leg straight with your heel on the ground.

5. Repeat for other leg.

Side stretch

1. Stand with both arms over your head.

2. Lean to one side, then the other.

3. You can also leave your right arm at your side and bend to the right while reaching your left arm reaches overhead, then reverse.

Torso twist

1. Stand with both arms out to side with elbows slightly bent.

2. Feet should be at shoulder width or slightly wider.

3. Twist your torso to the right and then the left, alternating back and forth slowly.

Quadriceps (thigh)

1. While leaning against a wall, reach back with your left hand and grab your right ankle.

2. Pull your foot back and away from your butt.

3. Repeat for the other side.

It really won’t take you long to do these. It’s a good way to start your exercise or even just your day.

TODAY: DO YOUR WARM UP EXERCISES.

Exercise Is Where You Find It

It’s Spring. You’re finally going to be able to go outside and get moving again. You should be walking regularly already, but you also can get exercise when you work outside instead of just working out. So first, turn off the TV and go outside. Start a garden. Turning the soil, raking and hoeing are great exercise for many muscle groups. Mow the lawn, you’ll get lots of walking in that way. Just get active and do some outdoor chores. You’ll know you’ve exercised the next day! Of course you can minimize that by doing some stretching and warm-ups before you work. Don’t overdo it. There will always be more outdoor chores to do.

Keep “Marching” On

March is ending, but you should be hitting your stride now. No more excuses about it being too cold out to go walking. It doesn’t take anything besides putting one foot in front of the other. Left, right, left. Left, right, left. Out the door and down the street. If you want, you don’t need an mp3 player to give yourself a beat. Hum a marching tune. “76 Trombones” comes to mind. Or try the famous song from Saturday Night Fever “Staying Alive”. It’s got the perfect pace for a nice workout. Of course you’ll need to put on your white suit like John Travolta.

TODAY: HIT THE BRICKS AND WALK.

Hot Exercise Cools You Down

Yesterday I told you to exercise in the morning. Now today I’m suggesting that you exercise at the end of the day. I know your thinking what the hell? Can’t you make up your mind? Well the truth is I’m trying to make up yours!

Just like the morning exercise gets you pumping, exercise late in your day will get rid of all the tension that has built up. A good brisk walk, or spinning on the exercise bike, or simply doing several reps of exercises will clear your head, warm your muscles and get you ready for a nice hot shower. It will curb your appetite some while relaxing you for when you go to bed for a good solid sleep. So you can get up early… and exercise!

TODAY: GET SOME EXERCISE BEFORE DINNER.

Get Moving In The Morning

A  little walk in the morning or even just a few stretching exercises will get you limbered up and your metabolism moving. It will also get your insides active to move some of yesterdays food through your system faster. So get up and get going. (In every way.)

TODAY: START THE DAY WITH SOME EXERCISE. ANY EXERCISE WILL DO!

Don’t Make Exercise A Chore

Even 10 minute exercises need to be enjoyable to keep you on track. You should find that walking time is a great time to let your brain churn and come up with ideas. That happens to me when I walk alone, ride my bike or even while mowing the lawn. But if you can’t seem to get motivated to start just add walking to your routine chores. Do you need to go down to the market? Walk instead of hopping in the car.

If the exercise bike or stepper seem boring. Do something else when you exercise. Some people say they can read when they are doing it. I never could, but I did move it to in front of the TV. You’ll find that the time really moves along faster. You can even use the commercial breaks as a convenient timer. Start during one set of commercials and finish during the next. Or maybe decide to keep going.

The main thing is to think of those 10 minutes as being YOUR time. It’s also paying you back with more time living a healthy life.

TODAY: DECIDE ON SOME FUN WAYS TO EXERCISE.