Exercise Tips for Everyone

I know that before I became a gym rat, exercise was intimidating. There's always the sense that people are judging you; it makes you want to be in shape BEFORE you even go to the gym. A catch-22 for sure. No one gave me any exercise tips, but I wish someone did. Eventually, I did find some exercise tips that work for me. So here are four exercise tips I've found the most useful.

Make it a commitment. If you're like me, you make bigger commitments to television shows; really, no show is worth taking you away from the life you want to live. What if you took one hour away three nights a week to make yourself feel better, look better and to be more healthy? By the way, this is making a commitment to exercise, NOT necessarily a commitment to a fancy gym. In fact...

You don't need a gym. Of all my exercise tips, this is the hardest to wrap your head around. But where will I exercise? Anywhere! You can job down the street. You can do sit-ups and push-ups in your bedroom. You can bike, rollerblade or swim in any number of public places. Now, I'm not saying don't go to a gym. I feel like some people get stuck in expensive and long-term contracts to a gym. All of a sudden, gyms are an obligation - exercise, believe it or not, can be fun. If you have the mind-set that you HAVE to go, because you're paying for it, you're attaching negative energy and thoughts to every work-out.

Find a way to make exercise fun. I think this is the most important of all exercise tips. There's all sorts of activities that can help promote physical fitness, help you lose weight and get in bathing suit shape. Remember how much you liked riding a bike when you were a kid? Who says you have to stop liking it now? Get on it and go pedal! Did you play a sport in school? Soccer, softball, basketball? You can certainly find adult leagues to join. Not only are you getting a workout, you're meeting people and having fun! Like anything else, enjoyment in the process is a key factor in achieving high results; the more you enjoy your workout, the better you'll like the results.

Mix up your workout. The worst thing that can happen with your exercise routine is that you can get bored. As I've mentioned above in the other exercise tips, if you enjoy the workout, you'll enjoy the results. So try new things - yoga, rock-climbing, pilates, kick boxing. There's no end to the number of different physical activities you can partake in to help you get the body you want.

Follow these exercise tips - or make your own! THe most important thing to remember is that you can control the workout - there's no "right" workout plan. The only right workout plan is the one that works for you!