Get Moving and Lighten Up!

Looks like shorts season came along early for some of us this year! And I, for one, am enjoying it thoroughly. But if you put on a few extra pounds over the winter (come on; you’re not a hibernating bear!), it’s time to shed them. So get outside and start walking off that weight!

Sometimes you need an extra push to get moving. I know. I’ve been there, done that. Here are two ways to keep your exercise plan on the right track:

 

·        Try the buddy system. Studies show that teaming up with a loved one—human or canine—when exercising will increase the amount of weight you lose. So enlist family, friend, or Fido and get going!

·        Reward yourself. We all need an incentive to keep up our motivation—just make sure it’s not an edible one. Think along the lines of a blockbuster movie, the latest best-selling novel, a new tool set, or a cute new pair of shoes.

The great news about daily exercise is that you don’t have to get it all in one shot. Research says that three brisk 10-minute walks per day are just as effective as a daily 30-minute walk. Just five times a week will do the trick, and—BONUS!—it won’t cost you a thing.