Tips to weave exercise into your life and be fit no matter what!

If you are a woman, I’m sure that you find countless roadblocks every day that prevent you from keeping in shape and eating healthy. If you are a mom, even more so!

It is important, however, to weave exercise into your lifestyle because, besides making you look grand, it also improves your mood and increases your self-esteem.

Consider that every time you set impossible goals regarding exercise and you fail to accomplish them, you feel worse than before you even started. That’s why I believe in setting reasonable goals and making exercise organic, adaptable but ever-present in your life, instead of something you do frantically after Christmas and before the summer.

In order to be successful in this area, you must think less and act more and make it a habit, just like brushing your teeth.

When I was very young, I had an eating disorder that turned eating, not eating and exercising into an obsession. Fortunately with the passage of time I was able to make it a pleasure and also be creative when it comes to keeping in shape during the demands of life, work, pregnancies, post-partum, motherhood and a lot more.

What helps me:

- I set reasonable goals. I practice some form of exercise three times a week, whenever possible. The key is to make it a lifestyle. Three times a week for my whole life is not bad. It’s a lot better than hitting the gym daily for two months and then not moving a muscle for two years.

- I adapt to my circumstances. I’ve always been a runner at the core, but when I became pregnant with my firstborn, I took up swimming. When she was born, I pushed her stroller all around the city during her naps. And when I had my second, I rode my bike, pulling them both on a trailer, while they slept!

- I know that the main piece of equipment to keep in shape is the commitment to do it. Walking, swimming, running, Pilates, yoga and a lot of other sports require no equipment. The only requirement is to do it.

- When I lived in a city, I walked everywhere, either alone or pushing my kids’ stroller. Now that I live close to the ocean, I drive there and then I walk on the Beach. It’s free!

- Now that my kids are 9 and 6, I play racquetball with them or swim or even play on the Wii-Fit, which is a lot of fun when the weather is not so good.

If you have any other tips, please share!

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