I love running. It's something I can do to get away from everything and just totally zone out with my iPod on. Back in my single days, I lived in Valley Ranch where I would get up at 4:30 a.m. every morning and jog 5-7 miles several times per week. It wasn't something that I saw as something I "had" to do to stay healthy; it was something I looked forward to doing. Only runners understand the addiction. It's like adrenalin is your drug, and I had to get my fix.

Flash forward to today, some 11 years later and I am married, a business owner and a mother of a 5 and 2 year old. Things have changed! Don't get me wrong, I still love running. But life is constantly getting in the way of my running and other workout efforts. And I will be honest - the love has waned due to my daily "to do" lists; the responsibilities of life like caring for my husband and children, helping others in the health arena and managing our household. The single life afforded me endless amount of time to care for myself. [Did I mention that I would go to bed between 8-8:30 p.m. for the 4:30 a.m. workouts??!] Now, time for myself is a luxury, and my workouts have become something I have to be consciously purposeful in doing. I teach this stuff, and yet I deal with the same struggles of prioritizing workouts. I know firsthand the endless amount of energy I get from regular workouts and how that gives me the boost I need to maximize my life's efforts. I know I sleep deeper, I feel more optimistic about things and my mind works better when I workout. Our bodies were made to move. But yet I still struggle to get out the door sometimes!

What about you? I know many can identify because I see it everyday in the clients that I coach. What helps me is to decide in advance which days of the week that I will workout - the key is being very realistic to what I really think I can accomplish - and then do it just like it was a task on my list. Do this, and don't let yourself decide based on how you "feel" [except for illness]. That's where so many people go wrong. Just do it! Have you ever regretted a workout? Me neither. The other thing I can suggest to do is to maximize your activities of daily living. If you look at people around you that naturally manage their weight well, they are probably active just in their daily tasks. Your body doesn't know the difference between a brisk walk outside and you vacuuming the house. They both raise your heart rate for an extended period of time and both provide the cardiovascular benefit. [Maybe this will help you think of housecleaning differently now!] Minimize sedentary activites and maximize movement - even in your activities of daily living. This will help in-between your workouts. My next blog will be a discussion about pedometers. Do you have one? Which one is best? I will share my thoughts on that next time. Here's to getting ALL of our bodies moving!! Set those personal goals for yourself today.