Of all the places to start changing your lifestyle for the better, the first step is your ROUTINE. All of our days are based on a routine that we’ve either carefully constructed, or allowed to be dumped on us. The first step to taking control of your life is taking control of your routine.
With just a quick glance at your regular routine you might say, “I get up, go to work, come home, eat, read a book, watch TV, surf the web, and go to bed.” That’s a pretty average routine. Fun life eh? It will be different for each person, but sometimes not much. The trick is getting down into the nitty gritty of how you spend the minutes of the day.
Tips: In the morning, how early do you wake up? Do you have any sort of exercise routine? If not, then this is your first step. Figure out how to add one in. Don’t worry too much about what to do for now. Just focus on setting aside time (30 min or so at least) to do SOMETHING Physical. Lots of people like to run in the mornings. For me, if its less than 40 degrees outside I don’t like to (I know, I’m a pansy) so I use a treadmill. Treadmills are Wonderful motivators to get you active in the mornings. Mine has helped me immensely. If you don’t have one, consider getting one. They don’t have to cost a lot. Here’s a great site to help you choose one and save money on it if you’d like. www.treadmillreview.com. If you’re man enough to brave the weather, go for it! Just do something!
If a morning time exercise routine doesn’t work consider another time. It is imperative to your health and happiness that you make time somewhere. We can all do this no matter how busy we think we are.
Ideas: Aside from this one chunk of time, it’s important to stay as active as we reasonably can throughout the day. Even if it means taking the stairs instead of the elevator. If it’s possible to walk to work or school instead of drive, do that! Get a dog and play ball with him or take him on walks. Anything that will get your heart going a little throughout the day. Find a dance class, take up tennis or basketball or some other hobby. These kinds of things are always available. Whatever you do, MAKE IT FUN.
Good luck. Stay tuned for our next post.