Planning a balanced work-out schedule

Many people think, "I should really work out more, but I just can't find the time." However, working out doesn't have to be hard. It can be an easy part of everyday life.

First, take stock of how much you really move in any given day. If you have a desk job, the answer may be 'not much.' If you're running after kids or you work somewhere with a large campus, you may walk quite a bit. Remember, ANY motion can be considered exercise!

Write down what you do during an ordinary day. Do you do laundry, cooking, gardening, child care? All of these can be exercise (especially if you're walking up and down stairs to do the laundry). When doing these or any chores, try to stay on your feet for as long as possible. Streamline your chores so you can go from one to the next, or even multi-task. While doing this, don't sit down. Keep walking, standing, moving. This is exercise!

At work, park farther from the entrance and walk. At lunchtime, take a walk to get your food. Maybe you can walk to a nearby restaurant, or maybe just across the floor or up the stairs to get to the lunch you brought. No matter what, move around. After you finish lunch, or during other breaks, walk around a little bit. Even if you take a five minute lope around the office, you're moving.

At home, think of fun activities that involve moving. Play Twister or musical chairs with your family. Go for a walk together. Play Red light, Green light in the backyard. These are just as together as board games (or worse, TV time), but you're all exercising together.

On the weekends, head to the park. Take a walk with your family or just run after your kids. Walk to the park, if you can.

Every evening, make some time for "real" working out. Do some jumping jacks, pacing, jogging in place, or a few minutes or a favorite exercise video. Spend some time stretching if you like to. If you move a lot throughout the day, ten minutes is plenty of exercise at night. Make sure you don't do this too close to your bedtime, or it could keep you up.

Cardio is what's important -- not following specific stretches, exercise videos, or plans. And all moving around is cardio. Cardio, or cardiovascular exercise, gets your blood moving. It leads to overall weight loss and toning, as well as keeping your heart rate up (which actually brings your resting heart rate down). If you have NO time to do formal exercise, just move around!

If you have time to get to the gym, select a good total body machine, like the elliptical. Some people also enjoy a treadmill or a stationary bike. Stretch out a little bit, then hop on for about 30 minutes. Do your five minute cool down afterwards, or your muscles WILL tighten up. If that happens, you'll be discouraged and sore. It is easily prevented.

After finishing your work out (have plenty of water before, during, and after -- this keeps muscles moving), walk. Walk with a friend or family member. Walk around a track, to the grocery store, home, or anywhere you can. Plan to walk for at least 10 minutes. This, too, will help your muscles cool down and your heart rate slow down again, which will prevent tightness and reduce soreness. Walking is also always a good all-around, low-impact exercise.

If you can squeeze in these workouts twice a week (they take about an hour -- go first thing on Saturday morning or last thing on Friday night), you will lose weight, get in better shape, and tone ALL OVER your body without doing a single special stretch or picking up a set of weights. Even once a week, if you keep yourself moving when you're not at the gym, will help you get in shape. You will keep your body in the exercise groove and you will get even healthier, and see results even quicker.

Anyone can exercise. It's just a matter of making the time!