Do It as Often as You Can (Exercise, that is!)

Hi Everyone!

I hope you Turkey Day (for those of you in the US) was festive. Ours definitely was relaxing. We finally got the fireplace going and spend most of the weekend lounging in the living room. The cats didn't know what to think of the flames!

Ann and I did get a chance to go running in the woods and found a fantastic lookout just about 1/4 of a mile from our place. So even though this newsletter is about exercise frequency, I'd like to say, take some time to walk around in nature, even around your own house... you'll never know what you'll find!

This week's question is from Maureen:

"Kevin, I love these exercises, but I don't want to over do it. How many times should I be exercising a week?"

My response:

Many people want you to believe that you should be working out for 30 minutes a day, all 7 days of the week. It's just how the information has trickled down to us.

Personally, I think this is for robots.

You don't need to workout that much to feel better and have more energy.

In fact, fitness success hinges on your ability to forget working out for a certain period of time. No more 5 times a week for 60 minutes or 3 times a week for 90 minutes. What you need to focus on is working out frequently throughout the week.

This may seem groundbreaking to you... and it is.

I want exercise to be a regular part of your day. Just like eating, showering and sleeping.

It was like this for those as little as a century ago. They would exercise all day long. Walk to the store, do the laundry, work in the field, the factory--most of this work was labor. No one really ever went to the gym and worked out for hours on end.

Unfortunately, those times have passed. We have computers, office buildings and cars. Plus, we seem to think that we have certain time restraints and commitments that don't allow us the time to exercise. Which is another issue in itself!

So, yes, you're busy. That's fine. But I bet there are times when you could sneak in a few squats, stretches and dips. In fact, there are probably 10-15 times during that day that you can.

What I'm asking you to do is equate those down times as an opportunity to squeeze in an exercise or two. By the end of the day, you'll feel great knowing that you've put in a good amount of time exercising. Time that you thought you never had!

Will you still burn fat exercising this way? You bet! Your frequent motion will allow your body to up its metabolism, burning calories faster so you can lose weight.

Having the freedom to know that you can exercise in small clips will help erase your chances of failure and get you feeling great in no time!

If you're looking for some exercises that you can do during the day, check out our Lifestyle Fitness Points Program Workbook. This system will show you over 80 exercises and activities you can do without equipment and keep you accountable by using our unique point system! The program is on sale until January 2006, so get it while it's at such a low price!