Healthy Can Be Fun: Get Active!

Once you've figured out and documented your goals, decide how you're going to reach each of them. It's as simple as that!

For example, becoming incredibly flexible has always been a dream of mine, but it seemed too difficult to reach for. In reality, however, all I have to do to get more flexible is be active on a regular basis and make sure I stretch at least once a day. When I wake up in the morning, I do a short session of yoga and stretch for about 15 minutes. Easy!

Many of my goals will be accomplished by simply getting more active in general, such as "having more energy," "feeling better about the way I look," "reaching a healthy weight and maintaining it," and the list goes on. Ask yourself what you can start doing to make your goals a reality.

This website is similar to Weight Watchers in the fact that it lets you track your meals, nutrients and exercises. You can calculate your calories taken in and calories burned. You can set goals, track your progress and talk with people online going through the same thing you are. It's amazing what a support group can do for goals of any kind! The best part: it's free. Sign up and get access to all kinds of workout videos and tools to help you get active!

And don't be afraid to try something new! You never know what you'll like until you try it. Here's something that may surprise you. I've always been lazy and overweight. I hated to do anything that was active because it didn't sound like fun. I knew I loved to bike and swim, but didn't feel I had the energy to go out and do it. I started with those, but as I continued getting active, I made a surprising discovery. I love push ups.

Sounds crazy, right? Who loves to do push ups? I stumbled upon a website called HundredPushups.com and thought to myself "wouldn't it be neat if I could show off with something like that." Of course that's not the kind of thought I'm proud of, but it was enough to get me to try it! Not to mention, if you can do 100 push ups you certainly deserve to show it off. That day I got down on the ground and did 6 slow and wobbly push ups. They were difficult at first and I wasn't sure I liked it. But I kept going with the thought of showing off to my friends and family as my motivation.

After a while, I began to notice a difference in my arms. I felt stronger and could feel more muscle in my arm, and when I did push ups it felt really good! It was like an adrenaline rush that hadn't been there before. And I never would have discovered that I loved push ups so much had I not given it a chance in the first place.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons and alicepopkorn.

Join me on my quest to reach 100 push ups. I started out barely able to do 6. As of April 5th, 2010, I can do 30 strong push ups in good form without stopping, and do approximately 90 push ups in one day! Go on, give it a try. What have you got to lose?

My advice to you is to be active every day. Find some activities that you can fit into your schedule, that you can do safely, and of course, that you enjoy! Try and mix it up. Doing cardio one day and strength and/or abs the next will give your muscles time to rest in between strength training and allow your body to build up a tolerance for doing cardio. The more you do each of these, the stronger you will get and the more energy you will have! You'll lose weight, build muscle and create a body (and lifestyle) that you can be proud of.