My Weekly Exercise Routine

Hi Everybody, so many of you have asked me what my exercise routine is and what I do to stay in shape. I've received many emails asking me how long I exercise and what I do. Well, I'm happy to share that with you, so here goes.

Three times per week I go to the gym where I do the following: First, I stretch a bit on the floor for about 3 minutes or so, just to get the stiffness out of my legs and joints. Very often I go to the gym after having worked on my computer for a few hours and my muscles feel tight and stiff. I don't do a deep stretch because I am not warmed up yet, and I don't want to pull anything. Stretching is best after you have warmed up for about 5 minutes, or at the end of your workout when you are most pliable.

Second, after I stretch a bit, I get on the StairMaster for 30 minutes. This is one of my favorite machines. I love the intensity. I stay at a continuous level of 13. All machines are different, so you should find the level that you feel comfortable working at where you are exercising in your high intensity rage without compromising proper form.

After the StairMaster I get on the Elliptical Machine for 15-20 minutes. I love this machine because it's very aerobic; it works your arms and legs at the same time.

After that I ride the stationary bike for about 15 minutes. All the while I am doing my cardio, I am either reading a book, or watching something on the personal T.V. in front of me. It really helps pass the time.

After the bike, it's time to cool down. I've just spent about an hour at a very high intensity level, and by this time I'm pretty drenched with sweat. I walk at level 3.8 on the treadmill with an incline of 4.5 for approximately 5-7 minutes to cool down and let the lactic acid out of my muscles.

When I am done with my cool down walk on the treadmill, I find a spot to sit and stretch. This stretch routine I do is at least 10 minutes and is much more intense. I go my full range of stretch capability. I lie flat for a while to straighten and relax my spine. It feels wonderful!

I'm not done yet, but I'm sweaty and a little cold from the a/c in the gym so I'll go to the locker room, change my clothes and resume my workout; this is also good because I don't get sweat on the weight machines. Don't you just hate when people leave the machines sweaty!

The last half of my workout I spend lifting weights for my upper and lower body, followed by sit ups and various abdominal exercises. From beginning to end my time in the gym is usually about 2 hours.

On the days I do not go to the gym - the remaining four days of the week, I have my home routine. I walk three days for about an hour each day, followed by stretching, and some calisthenics and pushups that I do at home(you can see many of them on YouTube, just go to my channel and type in exercise: http://www.youtube.com/user/YouTips4U I also go running twice a week for about 30-40 minutes, weather permitting and in the summer swimming. I usually don't exceed 30-40 minutes running because I don't want to put undo stress on my joints since I do a lot of exercise.

Well, there you have it! On average I probably exercise about six days per week. Of course there are times when I cannot make the gym or I miss my walk because I just don't have the time, but I do my best to try to do some physical exercise every day. It keeps me feeling uplifted, keeps my metabolism raised, and is wonderful for my body. I hope you have enjoyed hearing about what I do. You may think it sounds like a lot, but it's what my body is used to. The fitter you get, the more your body needs to challenge it, and so I've worked my way up to these levels. Please don't feel intimidated by this; you can tailor your exercise program to suit your lifestyle and needs. I encourage everyone to do 30 minutes a day, no matter your age. There are many days where that's all I can fit in because of obligations. Don't fret if you miss a workout, or you just didn't feel like going today. It's o.k., just start again tomorrow. Please don't let too many days go by though before you exercise again. I try not to let more than two days go by before I exercise again, unless I'm sick, of course, then it's best to get your rest and get well again.

Stay motivated! Stay focused on the future and how great you are going to feel when you are done with your routine, and make it a daily part of your life. For those of you who clean your own house, like I do - guess what - that counts! It's exercise too! Very often I will skip my long walk on days I vacuum my house because it's pretty aerobic, or I will just take a 20-30 minute walk to get some fresh air and sunshine. Remember, you're the boss of your body and you decide what's best for it. Life is always changing so you have to be flexible with what you do. I found it a real challenge to find time for exercise when my children where born, but determination won and I did it. I used to do exercise videos religiously when they were napping, or put them in a stroller and take them for a long walk. I had a beautiful double stroller, so I could push them both at the same time. It was great too, because as they grew and got heavier, it challenged my muscles to take on more weight, and believe me pushing a double stroller with two toddlers in it up a big hill is a workout!

I hope you found this helpful. KEEP MAKING IT HAPPEN FOR YOURSELF!!!

All my best,
YouTips4U