Tips for having a healthy Spring season
By Cynthia Castellon, “Fitness Engineer” and Wellness Center/Fit to Win Coordinator

If you have not noticed yet, spring is in the air!  Right now is a great time to get going on a simple exercise routine.  The weather is warming up and we have extra daylight.  Getting exercise does not mean you have to be stuck indoors on a treadmill huffing and puffing.  Here are 5 things you can do just to get motivated and moving.

1. Turn off the television, put your sneakers on, open the front door and start walking.

2. Do you ever wonder why your dog is soooo hyper?  It is probably because he/she hasn’t had any exercise either.  If he/she truly is your best friend then you should be taking him/her walking too.   If you don’t want an over-excited dog, than do yourself a favor take your dog walking with you.

3. Yardwork/gardening.  Get outside and cut your own grass, trim your own trees, prune your own roses!  Not only do you get the exercise benefits, but you also save money by doing it yourself.  So you say you don’t have enough time to clean the inside of your house and garden? Well, pay a housekeeper rather than a gardener.  It is so much less stressful to be outside than inside. Besides, you need some sun. You're looking kind of pale.

4. Sign up for a 5k trail run/walk.  There are plenty of them to choose from.  If you sign up in advance, you are more likely to train for it and actually do it.  If you have never done one before, sign up at least two to three months in advance to give yourself some extra training time.

5. Focus on your health.  Stop thinking about how much weight you need to lose or how fat your butt is.  Just get moving.  If you make health your priority, all the other great benefits will just happen.  Remember, work is not your priority, your health is.  If you don’t have your health, how will you be able to work?

I hope this helps put some things in perspective.  There are a 168 hours in a week. All you need to start a healthy regimen with is one hour of exercise a week (20 minutes, 3 days a week). It’s really not that much to ask for, is it?