“How to Get Your Boogey Back On” by Jen Givler

Are you one of those women (or men ) that really knows she needs to exercise but something ALWAYS gets in the way?

I know what that’s like. I’m a mom, I run a business, I have a family, I have friends – life is busy. I can find 101 reasons a day to skip exercising. Especially when we’re talking shoving another 30 minutes to an hour into my day. Now, granted, my business IS exercise… but still – I do have to make time for my own personal routine. And even I have a hard time getting motivated and fitting it in at times.

Sometimes, we let time get in our way. Other times, we don’t exercise because it just seems so overwhelming – how do you start, where do you start… it just seems so complicated.

Exercise shouldn’t be complicated. The more simple you can make it, the better. One study found that the more simple you make, the easier it is to actually stick to.

Not only that, but when we think of exercise as a chore, no wonder we don’t want to make room for it. Exercise doesn’t have to be “exercise.” In other words, you don’t have to force yourself onto the treadmill if you hate the treadmill.

Finding exercise or movement you like is as simple as asking yourself, how you’d like to move.

Here are some ideas to get moving some may sound fun, others may not – you decide and do what inspires you!

1. Why not chunk your exercise into 10 minute increments? A study out of the University of Virginia found that women who completed 15 ten minute exercise routines a week were equal in aerobic fitness, strength and flexibility to people 10 to 15 years younger.

Why not take 10 minutes in the morning, 10 at lunch and 10 in the evening. Your evening routine can even be done while watching TV.

2. And speaking of TV, why not exercise while watching your favorite show at night. Do a small circuit: 1. Run in place for 1 minute. 2. Jump rope for 2 minutes. 3. Do jumping jacks for 1 minute. 4. Repeat steps 1 – 3. 5. Do 20 push ups. 6. Do 15 crunches. 7. Do 15 bicycle crunches. 8. Do 10 – 15 Triceps dips. 9. Repeat steps 5 – 8. 10. Repeat the entire circuit.

3. Walking and jogging provide a really simple cardio workout. And, doing intervals helps with the calorie and fat burn. Intervals are simply, doing light cardio for a few minutes, then upping the intensity for a minute or two, and then bringing it back down to a lighter pace.

An example of an interval would be, begin your routine with a warm-up, then, do 1 minute of fast walking. Up the intensity by either increasing your speed, or increasing your incline (or going up a hill). Do that for 2 minutes, and then bring the pace back down for 3 minutes. Then, pick up the pace and see if you can do higher intensity than the second segment.

4. For resistance training, body-weight training is simple and you can do it anywhere. Body weight training is simply using your own body weight as resistance. Push-ups, sit-ups, seated triceps dips, squats and plies all qualify as body-weight exercises.

5. As Lady Ga-Ga says, just dance! Put on some music and just do it. Doesn’t matter if you don’t think you can – no one is watching!

Once you get moving, you’ll find that you want to move more. And once you see how simple it can be, you’ll have no trouble finding time and activities to get you going.

Jenn Givler, helps women break their fitness hiatus in a non-competitive, non-judgmental environment. Through group fitness, distance learning classes and personal fitness coaching, she can help you get back into your groove! You don’t have to “learn to love exercise” or become an instant fitness buff to enjoy moving your body. Jenn’s specialty is helping clients find creative ways to fit movement into their daily activities.

Jenn has been into fitness and dance almost her entire life. She currently teaches yoga, Pilates, and cardio classes. She also teaches intermediate and advanced jazz and contemporary dance classes. When she’s not in the studio, Jenn enjoys all sorts of outdoor activities with her family including hiking, mountain biking, canoeing and kayaking. Her 7-year old daughter Maddie loves dancing and doing yoga with mommy and is a competitive Irish Step Dancer. Check out Jenn’s web site for tips, recipes and ideas for adding movement to your life.