Exercising without a Gym

For those of you who absolutely do not want to work out at a gym, you still have plenty of options.

If you want to have companionship it will be up to you to seek it or invite it in...that could be friends, a loved one or a personal trainer who comes to your home.

Take time every day to stretch. Gentle stretches are key to good health.

And breath deeply--get some more oxygen into your body. This will help "stoke your furnace" and will assist in weight loss.

And listen to your body. If you hurt, slow down. If you are so out of breath you can't talk, drop the intensity down a notch. If you can sing and shout to the music, step it up!

If you are new to exercising then I encourage you to get a DVD to follow (I like the "Bounce and Shake" program available on this site).

If you want to try a few things out, see if your library has any tapes or DVDs that you can borrow.

If you like movement and have decent coordination, try some aerobics.

Prefer quiet and gentle movement, check out something in the yoga or Tai Chi area.

Set aside a time to exercise...since you will be accountable to yourself, write your commitment down--you'll be more apt to keep it!

If you are on a tight budget and are not sure what else to do, just move more. Get some shoes with good support for walking and start there.

A lot of shopping malls have walking programs...you can join others for free and walk indoors in a safe environment.

Even if you don't want to go outside because of weather or you are shy, you can walk inside your house or apartment.

Or put on some tunes and dance!

The most important thing is to move, to have fun and keep with it! Make a small commitment at first...build that into a habit and then grow that. These small changes will yield big results!