I don’t always feel like exercising. There are days when I hide under the duvet when I hear the word. Gone are the days when I could eat anything I liked, and as much of it as I liked, and stay under 115 pounds. In fact, in those days – not so long ago, I didn’t think about eating healthily and exercising at all.

Sure, I was active and always on the go, but my body was a lot more forgiving than it is now! I may be a Personal trainer, but I’m not a skinny one. and boy, do I love my food.

Even eating half of what I used to eat, I still put on weight if I do no exercise. And with a house to run, husband, dogs and child to look after, AND a business to run, if I don’t watch it then it’s my exercise time that suffers. I’m sure you know where I’m coming from here.

So how to fit enough exercise into a busy day? Here are some ideas:

Be selfish. Even if you only take 20 minutes to exercise it’s a hell of a lot better than nothing. The ironing isn’t going anywhere, and if he wants that shirt so badly, he can iron it himself.

Take the dog for a 30 minute brisk walk every day. He’ll love it and the fresh air will do you the world of good. if you don’t have a dog, borrow one. You’re welcome to one of mine!

When you go shopping, park as far from the store as you can and walk. Pushing a full trolley will really trim the backs of those arms.

Join a gym or enrol for a series of exercise classes. You don’t need your best friend to go with you, honest. And once you’ve booked to go to a class, you’re more likely to actually go. Any instructor worth their salt will make you welcome – just hop around at the back of the room, and you’ll burn more calories than the girls that know all the moves by heart.

Run up and down stairs ten times a day. At work or in shops, always use the stairs instead of the elevator.

Walk to the local store, walk in your lunch hour for 10 minutes and remember that every little counts. Exercise not only burns calories at the time, it also revs up your metabolism – which is your body’s “furnace” and that means you keep on burning calories for hours afterwards.

But remember; strolling along won’t do! You need to stride out so that your heart rate rises, your breathing gets faster and you start sweating a bit. If you finish your walk as cool as a cucumber, you haven’t done enough.

It’s not actually all that difficult to fit in 30 minutes of exercise – the Government’s recommended amount – into a day. Even a frantic, hectic day offers possibilities. Don’t forget; your exercise is just as effective done in 3 x 10 minute sessions.

So get out there, get moving and start feeling better!

Carol J Bartram

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