5 Tips To Stay Active

Life has been crazy busy - can you relate? Sometimes it's hard to find time to workout and stay active. Lately I haven't had the time to stick to a full time workout plan, so here are 5 ways I've been trying to stay active daily

1. Including the dogs - my dogs need exercise everyday too so why not include them! Bear has really enjoyed heading out for a run here and there. It's nice to mix up our walking routine with a run.....plus he's very tiered afterward which means I can get more work done around the house while he naps.

2. Wear a step counter - I'm not a typical "fitbit" user...honestly I prefer Garmin products. I wear my Garmin step counter everyday, this helps motive me to try to aid for 8,000-10,000 steps per day. Sometimes when I'm on conference calls I will pace around my home office to get in a few more steps. 

3. Park far away - when I'm out and about running errands I park far away from the door. This way I have to walk a little bit more - plus my car doesn't get dinged as much because there's no one else parked around me.

4. Workout during commercials - I feel like this is an oldie but a goodie. I've heard this says so much but it really works! Just even getting up and doing some squats, push ups, stretching .... just get moving during that 3min commercial break. 

5. Schedule - working from home I find I don't take as many breaks as I should - so I schedule them. If it's in my schedule I'm more likely to follow through. 

How do you stay active? Tell me your secrets in the comments below.

Sick With A Cold - Exercise Do's and Don'ts

Lately I've been a little absent from social media as a battle with a spring cold which inspired this blog! Exercise has been the last thing on my mind this week but light exercise can actually make you feel better while you have a cold….now there are some exceptions to that! Typically I will only workout when I have a slight head cold, anything that is more severe than that I skip my workouts all together.

Here are some simple Do’s and Don’ts for exercise when you have a cold

Do

Walk – Don’t stay cooped up in bed all day, it’s surprising how great this can make you feel. I’ve been out for serval walks this last week and it’s defiantly made a difference

Jogging – I skipped this one for this cold but you can go out for a light jog, nothing too intense or long

Yoga – Personally I love doing hot yoga when I’m sick but since I couldn’t make it to any of the classes. I just used “21 Day Fix” yoga DVD and did some yoga in my living room

Don’t

Endurance running – You don’t want to push yourself too hard, don’t do any running such as intervals or races during your cold

Machines at the gym – While you have a cold be courteous to other people, think about it. Do you want someone beside you who’s sick? Gym machines can spread germs when people don’t clean them off properly, stay at home to avoid getting other people sick

Lifting weights – During your cold your body is going to be weak, lifting weights during a cold can increase your risk of injury. You’re putting an extra strain on your muscles which can further worsen your cold….plus your spreading your germs to other people using weights

Try These 7 Exercise Tips

1) Always workout on Monday
Start your week out right, this is more mental than anything. Get week off to a great start!! Continue the trend throughout the week

2) Try to workout in the morning
I know this is easier said than done. I hear you...I am not a morning person, however, when I can drag myself out of bed and workout in the mornings I always feel i have a super productive day. It gets me up ready, awake and energized for the day

3) Never skip two workouts in a row
We all have a life and sometimes our workouts get skipped. It happens, but try not to miss two workouts in a row, this can affect your workout routine for the worse

4) Reward and acknowledge your results (no matter how small)
Make sure you are giving yourself "a pat on the back" as they say, even if you have achieved a small milestone like losing your first pound. It will put yourself in a positive mind set that will make you keep going because you can do this after all

5) Exercise several times a week
It's hard to be active every day but lets face facts, working out once a week isn't enough. Adults are encouraged to try to be active 5 days a week for at least 30min

6) Look for affordable workout 
You do not need to always be spending money when working out. Try something free like going for a run or riding your bike. Get others involved and play football or basketball with some friends.

7) Make exercising more enjoyable
It's proven that if you enjoy something you are more likely to stick with it. If you don't like running then don't run. Find a workout that you like to do. Whether it's going to the gym, buying a workout DVD and doing your workout at home, playing basketball, soccer, baseball, find something that you enjoy!