03 Apr Five tips to spring into fitness

We can all fall into winter ruts to different levels, but now that it’s April it’s time to really spring into fitness.
Here are five tips to shake off the winter blahs and start fresh this spring:
1 Assess your diet – How is your diet? Be honest with yourself and evaluate if some changes can or should be made. Cut down on eating fast food, eat smaller portions, absolutely quit smoking, try to limit alcohol consumption, eat more fruits and vegetables and drink more water.
2 Get regular exercise – Plan time into your schedule to exercise at least three times a week. Don’t overdo it, especially early on. The body will be sore and you need time to recover.
Regularly get cardio workouts, such as brisk walking outside or on a treadmill and-or elliptical machine
3 Keep a fitness log – This will help you chart progress, keep track of goals and stay motivated.
4 Find a workout partner – Find a friend to work out with. It will help you both push each other and make the workouts more interesting.
5 Soak up the sun – Take advantage of the nice weather by getting outside to exercise, whether it’s setting up your weights outside, biking, hiking, or anything else that will get you moving and burning calories. Make sure to wear sunscreen, though.

At Home Fitness consultant Aaron Dorksen’s blog deals with a variety of fitness topics, ranging from workout tips, motivational ideas and feature stories on how exercise impacts people’s lives. E-mail him with comments, questions or ideas for future blogs at aaron@athomefitness.com