Spring is the perfect time to jump start your exercise routine. This is because after months of short, cold days the increase in sunlight ushered in by this season brings a resurgence of energy in most people. Maybe you’ve been craving sleep and carbohydrates all winter. With spring, the tendency to want to stock up on calories so you can hibernate will come to an end. What better time to begin your exercise routine anew than when the world seems full of possibility?
(Caution! Before you begin any new exercise plan, it’s a good idea if you check with your health care provider first. This is especially true if you’ve been relatively inactive over the winter. Also, if you’ve gained ten or even twenty pounds, you may find that exercising is more taxing than you remember. To avoid injury and/or discomfort, ease back into a routine slowly).
Now that you’ve decided to “get back on track†with exercising, where is a good place to begin? Listed below are several options for putting the “spring†back in your step.
1. Walk
As a health educator for 20 years, I encourage people to walk regularly. This simple exercise, when done at a decent pace, not only burns calories, it strengthens your leg muscles and increases lung capacity. A pedometer is a handy gadget designed to keep track of how much you walk in a typical day. Start slowly, with the ultimate goal of reaching 10,000 steps or five miles over the course of an entire day. If you keep at it, your body will look and feel better in no time.
2. Try Your Hand at Vigorous Activity
Don’t cringe. There are plenty of options in this category – don’t automatically think marathon running! Several cities have co-ed volleyball teams in the summer, and if you like to swim, local pools offer places to practice your back stroke. Shake the dust from your memory and think about what sports you loved when you were a child. Roller-skating…riding a bike…jumping rope…all burn calories and each will rev up your energy level.
3. Embrace Yard Work
Taking care of the lawn shouldn’t be viewed as a chore; think of gardening and mowing as an all over work out. One source even states that a 160 pound person will burn 422 calories per hour from push mowing a yard with the old fashioned kind of mower. The same person will burn 346 calories per hour gardening.
A final note about beginning to exercise this spring. Many find working out easier with an exercise buddy. It’s true that if you have an exercise partner you are more likely to stick with working out. For one, exercising with someone – your spouse, your sibling, your child, or your friend – is much more fun than exercising alone. Another good reason to find a work out partner is that you will tend to push each other through friendly competition.
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