Everyone is being told to go out and exercise for health. That’s often easier said than done.

When you are a child, it’s easy. We are required to participate in a form of exercise through the educational system sometimes up to college. Ever have to run across the school playground, up and down steps, or play a game such as kickball? After our academic years, exercise often becomes another item on your daily ‘to do’ list.

Even with the best of intentions, life often gets in the way. Have you ever joined a gym and a few months into your membership, something pulls your attention or time, and the next thing you know your credit card statement is showing gym renewal! It’s not that you’re lazy, it’s that you’re busy.  Data shows that most memberships are purchased and within a few months the member is no longer able to continue with the schedule originally intended.  That’s easy to see. Take a look at your own life. You are you pulled away from your routines to care for a loved one, or maybe a business trip consumes your time, and when you arrive home you’re exhausted. Perhaps you are running the children back and forth to their extracurricular programs and get home only to face house work after your day at work.  What can you do to make slight adjustments and incorporate exercise?

• Consider focusing yourself for greater enhancement before you set out to do any activity.
• Commit to a walk, hike, or other local free activity for twenty minutes to an hour a day. Bring others along for incentive and more fun and distraction, making time seem to go faster.
• Instead of sitting on the bleachers at school or the couch in your home, to watch an activity, just stand up and do some stretches, or sit and do some crunches, even wall presses are easy and worthwhile exercises.
• Sex is not out of the exercise equation-it’s fun and burns calories with an added benefit of more endorphins then when you started, leaving you relaxed and feeling good.
• Twice daily twenty minute meditation helps you feels relaxed with greater focus.
• Gardening, yard work, cleaning out the basement or garage, or doing simple house repairs like painting are all forms of exercise. There are countless ways to incorporate exercise, simply and efficiently, into your daily routine.

When all is said and done, if you integrate exercise into your activities, you gain a lot of value and your perception of the world around you changes almost instantly in a positive direction. When you feel this transformation, you might explore some relaxation resources to enhance your repertoire of self care, including a visit to a salt room, a massage, a reike session, hypnosis, and/or volunteer activities to help others in your community.  Exercise has many positive outcomes for your body, mind, and spirit. The trick is to Start!