Exercise a matter of time?

A new study from Wake Forest shows that people who have flexibility at work tend to have better health habits including getting more exercise. The researchers surveyed 3200 workers over the course of a year. Interestingly when a person's work situation became more flexible (from the beginning of the study to the end of the study) certain health habits improved but they were not necessarily more apt to workout. In some cases having more time meant more time to exercise, but for others it seemed not to make a difference.
Of the people that I know who exercise there are two types of personalities. One type would exercise no matter what their work or home situation; this person fits it in early in the morning, late in the evening and on weekends. She makes sure that there is a convenient way to get in her workout. Exercise is a regimen and is scheduled the way that meetings or other important appointments are. The other type of personality exercises when it is convenient but working out tends to fall farther on the list of priorities so may fall off the list altogether. I would say this is the more common personality.
As we approach January 1 and the date of New Year's resolutions including many peoples' vows to exercise more, it would be of benefit to try to become more like the first type of exercise personality - the one that makes exercise like brushing your teeth or taking a shower, something that's a necessary part of the day. Start by finding the time of day that works for you, schedule it in and make it a no excuses must-do. I'm not a morning person, so for me the best time is in the evening after I put the kids to bed and before my husband comes home from work. I have equipment for my home and there's a tv show on at that time, which I enjoy. I tell myself in order to watch it, I have to be on the treadmill or elliptical machine. There's no negotiations.
Flexibility at work, at home or not at all, if exercise is part of the routine, it will surely be accomplished. And when we're talking about seeking weight loss and lifelong weight maintenance, exercise is a necessary component. As your resolution this year, find the way to make exercise a must-do part of your life.

Long daylight hours for walking

Now that the days are long, we've been doing a lot more late day family walks. Actually, we've kind of been forced out of our house each evening. You see we're trying to sell our house and realtors keep calling to show the place after 5 PM. With lack of a better idea, we've been sticking the kids in a stroller and going for long walks to the playground. And you know what? My husband and I are getting a ton more exercise. Pushing two kids, plus a stroller up the hills in our development is quite a workout. We come home drenched in sweat. Maybe once the place sells, we'll keep up the walks (at least that's the hope).