"For weight loss, your objective must be to work exercise into the very fabric of your daily routine. It needs to be second nature, like brushing your teeth. Its hard at first. But it is really a matter of making time. What's more important - your health or a TV show that you could record for viewing later? You can start with small amounts and work up to a daily average of 30 minutes to and hour a day. "

"What I have found, is that 30 minutes of exercise a day, every day, will start you on a solid program to support weight loss. After 6 months, you will have toned yourself to the point that you may need to increase to as much as 60 minutes a day to sustain your previous rate of loss. Can't spare sixty minutes at a pop? No problem! Although it can be broken into several sessions, it is recommended that the exercise sessions be no shorter than 20 minutes, in order to get some reasonable benefits from the exercise."

Current goal is 20K/day or 600K in September

"I have long used mini-goals to provide me intermediate targets to shoot for. In the beginning, we signed up for local 5K walks, then 10K walks. Setting each as a goal, we would spend our weekend time going on long walks, working on our pace and endurance. The prize? Well, most races provide T-shirts and some have additional goodie bags, depending on the number and types of sponsors. The marathons generally have a medallion for all finishers - really cool! The real prize is the improved health, stamina, and well-being that results from exercise."

"Other forms of motivational mini-goals have been vacations (we planned a trip to Hawaii last year), and family gatherings. There are several online forums where dieters/exercisers meet to exchange notes of progress and ideas. Some of these institute small 'challenges' for two or three weeks to provide motivation as part of a virtual team competition."

"Find whatever it takes to provide that extra little motivation to meet your goal. As you work exercise into your daily routine, you'll find that not a lot of extra effort is required. It will then just be a matter of time as you melt off 1-2 pounds per week."

"At that point you, too, will be crusin' and losin'"

A zoom view of the box in the top chart.

If I had to pick a single factor that I thought was most important in a successful exercise or weight loss program, it would be to exercise first thing in the morning... every morning! Some mornings, you may just be able to fit in a 10 minute walk, but it's important to try to do something every morning.

So why mornings?...

1. Over 90% of people who exercise *consistently*, exercise in the morning. If you want to exercise consistently, odds are in your favor if you exercise first thing in the morning.

2. When you exercise early in the morning, it "jump starts" your metabolism and keeps it elevated for hours, sometimes up to 24 hours! That means you're burning more calories all day long just because you exercised in the morning!

3. When you exercise in the morning you'll be *energized* for the day! Personally, I feel dramatically different on days when I have and haven't exercised in the morning.

4. Many people find that morning exercise "regulates" their appetite for the day...that they aren't as hungry and that they make better food choices. Several people have told me that it puts them in a "healthy mindset"

5. If you exercise at about the same time every morning... and ideally wake-up at about the same time on a regular basis, your body's endocrine system and circadian rhythms adjust to that, and physiologically, some wonderful things happen; A couple of hours *before* you awaken, your body begins to prepare for waking and exercise because it "knows" it's about to happen...why? because it "knows" you do the same thing just about everyday. You benefit from that in several ways...

   • It's MUCH easier to wake-up. When you wake-up at different times everyday, it confuses your body and thus it's never really "prepared" to awaken.

   • Your metabolism and all the hormones involved in activity and exercise begin to elevate while you're sleeping. Thus, you feel more alert, energized, and ready to exercise when you do wake-up.

   • Hormones prepare your body for exercise by regulating blood pressure, heart rate, blood flow to muscles, etc.

6. For many people, that appointed time every morning becomes something they look forward to. It's time they've set aside to do something good for themselves...to take care of their body, mind, and soul. Many find that it's a great time to think clearly, pray, plan their day, or just relax mentally.

7. Research has demonstrated that exercise increases mental acuity... on average it lasts four to ten hours after exercise! No sense in wasting that while you're sleeping. :)

8. Exercise first thing in the morning is really the only way to assure that something else won't crowd exercise out of your schedule. When your days get hectic, exercise usually takes a back seat!

9. If finding time to exercise is difficult, anyone can get up 30 to 60 minutes earlier to exercise (if it's a priority in your life). If necessary, you can go to sleep a little earlier. Also, research has demonstrated that people who exercise on a regular basis have a higher quality of sleep and thus require less sleep!

10. You'll feel GREAT! DO IT! :)

Get movin'! :)