While you are raising a family, sometimes the pressures of daily life seem overwhelming.  You have kids to get ready for school, housework, meals, laundry, illnesses, not to mention your job if you work outside the home!  “When the heck am I going to have time to workout?”  That is a question I hear regularly, and I can relate to that because I am a working mother myself.  Sometimes it is just impossible to stick to a regular fitness routine and the preparation of healthy meals.

That being said, I try not to let everyday stress become an excuse to not get my regular exercise in.  We all have 24 hours in a day, so we need to find some time during that period for some form of exercise.  Part of your daily routine includes a shower and brushing your teeth. You would not go without those, so if you make exercise part of your daily routine too, it will become a habit.  A great habit!  It is just not right to use lack of time as an excuse to avoid exercise.  If you are afraid to get started, or just not sure how, then read on, I think this will help you.

Just remember, even 20 minutes a day is better than nothing at all.  Here are five tips to help you get started.

1. Find a friend to workout with:    Working out alone is not always an enjoyable experience. However, if you have a friend workout with you, chances are that you will start loving your workouts because you will also have that social interaction!  Also, seeing your friend working out will motivate you to continue with your exercise program.  The other benefit that comes with working out with a friend is accountability. If you know your friend is counting on you to meet her at the gym, you are less likely to use the excuse “I don’t feel like it today.”   

2. Workout to Music:  Take an IPOD with you whenever you hit the gym. This is a great way of kicking the boredom out of your workout routine!  When I work out to music, I find it more enjoyable because I am not really concentrating on how hard I am working, but actually listening to the music.  Upbeat music works great when you are doing cardio.  Softer music when you are stretching or doing yoga.  Most gyms today have TVs too, so if you have headphones you can plug in and watch your favorite TV show while on the treadmill!   

3. Do what you love:  It becomes a lot easier when you find certain exercises that you love to do.  If there are exercises that you absolutely despise, do not make them part of your routine.  You will get bored and quit.  Instead, mix it up a bit, but make sure you are working every area of your body.

4. Start it slow: If you have never exercised in life, it is only natural that you will be afraid to hit the gym. When you first begin to exercise, you do not have to do it daily in order to lose weight. Instead, try to take it easy: start by working out only for fifteen to twenty minutes per day, for two or three days a week. As your body gets accustomed to your new workout routine, you can scale up the intensity of your workouts!   Trust me, you will feel so much better when you start to incorporate fitness into your daily routine.

5.  Work out at home:  If a gym membership is not in your budget, that’s okay.  You can purchase some really good exercise DVDs and get started at home.  You can still invite friends over to work out with you for added fun and support. We offer some beginner to advanced DVD choices on our website.

For more free diet and fitness tips, please be sure to visit my website at http://www.myjourneytoweightloss.com .

Thank you for reading.   Have an Amazing Day!