Exercise

I'm not a huge fan of structured exercise.  Using cardio and weight machines or doing an aerobics class is not my idea of fun.  My one exception is Curves http://www.curves.com/  The Curves circuit provides a complete cardio and strength training workout in just 30 minutes where you can burn up to 500 calories and work every major muscle group in your body.  It's a very efficient and effective workout that isn't boring and you're done in not time flat.  Yes, I do work there, but I'm not being biased.  I truly love Curves.  I've tried other gyms (Shapes, Goodlife Fitness, the YM/YWCa, etc) and didn't enjoy it enough to keep doing it.  My main problems are:

1. motivation to get there and actually do the work out
2. schedule the time to do a workout
3. Remembering how to use the machines - especially weight machines

At Curves I work out 3 times a week and feel great.  Because all the machines are places in a circuit, you never have to wait for a machine to be free, you never have to think "which machine will I use next?", and the circuit coach is always there to remind you of how to do a machine if you forget and to keep you motivated.

I have owned treadmills, stationary bikes, and elliptical in the past.  Each time I got one, I vowed "I have no excuses, I can work out while I watch TV."  But all-to-soon these machines became a conversation piece with a nice layer of dust on it.

Other things I do, that I call exercise, are things I either have to do or want to do. 

• Work - at Curves when I'm not teaching workouts, I'm always moving or dancing to the music.  At PetValu, I'm helping customers carry their purchases to their cars, stocking the shelves, or cleaning.
• Dog - everyday I take my boxer to the dog park for 45 minutes to 2 hours.  We walk the paths and play fetch.  I vary the paths we take so some days we do a lot of climbing up and down hills.  I also take Sophie out for leashed walks.  These tend to be shorter is duration, and nearly everyday.  I'm planning or switching some of these leashed walks to bike rides during the summer.  And finally, I'll be starting Sophie in agility classes.  Dog agility is a dog sport in which the handler directs the dog through an obstacle course in a race for both time and accuracy.  This is a very fast-paced sport, not just for the dog, but for the handler, as he/she must keep up to direct properly.

• Ballroom Dancing - this is something I've put onto the backburner but I was very involved for a while.  Learning all the different dances was fun and it was a very social and friendly environment and also a great work out.  I remember having sore abs form holding a proper tango stance and frame for a whole class!  My legs were getting toned from the rise and falls in the waltz, and I loved showing off my hip action doing the Cuban motion!  I training with an Arthur Murray studio in Ottawa, but there are many places to learn dance.  I may try taking one of those Zumba classes, which is a aerobics class based of Latin dances. 

(This is me and my old dance instructor, in 2007,  dancing a beginner's smooth waltz.)
• Trying new things - Recently a group from my local Curves went ziplining.  I went and afterwards had sore upper-abs for days from doing tricks while zipping!  Try golfing or hiking or wall-climbing.  All great activities that will get you using muscles you may not normally use.

(Here I am zip-lining!)

Exercise doesn't have to be a chore. Just find something(s) that you enjoy doing! Take risks and try new and different activities.