Pilates? I thought you said Pie and Lattes

People ask me how I find time to exercise while still working 13 hour shifts. It's not that I find time to workout. I make time. Exercise should be as second nature to you as eating and sleeping. Your body needs it to function well on a physical and emotional level. It helps with weight loss, muscle strengthening, depression, and insomnia. Plus it prevents aging, Type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and so much more. It's the fountain of youth disguised as beads of sweat.

Most importantly, exercise is an outlet for your stress - a chance for you to either turn up the beat and have fun or turn down the volume and relax. It's up to you what you do and how far you push yourself. You can do it for 10 minutes, you can do it for an hour. Like Nike says: Just Do It.

If you're not sure you're getting enough exercise, check out the CDC's recommendations: How much physical activity adults need on a weekly basis.

Some ideas for how you can fit exercise into your daily routine:

1. Write your goals down for that day - what are some things you want to get done? Then kill two birds with one stone: Laundry time? Break a sweat while you're waiting for the first load to finish up. Meal prep time? Let your food heat up in the oven while you heat up on the floor! Homeland premiere? Do crunches while you watch Carrie Mathison kick a$$.
2. Take the stairs. I always take the stairs, especially at the hospital. I try to get the other doctors to take the stairs too...it usually ends up turning into a race thus proving it really is faster than the elevator.
3. Grab some weights while you talk on the phone.
4. Hop on a stepper while you study (check them out here on Amazon).
5. Get OFF of social media! All the time you spend on Facebook and Instagram would be better spent outside. Go for a walk or a run.
6. Make a list of your favorite dance songs and have a solo dance party!
7. Blogilates has a free fitness calendar every month linked to free workout videos on YouTube. Subscribe to Cassey Ho's e-mail list and she'll send you the password.
8. You can get free yoga class videos from DoYogaWithMe.com. I recommend this site to my patients. They're great because you can specify what difficulty level, style, and how much time (anywhere from 10 minutes to over an hour). They also have meditation and breathing classes, yoga poses and tutorials.
9. Find a friend to workout with and motivate each other.
10. Be consistent. They say 13 days makes a habit. Start with one day, then the next, then before you know it, exercise won't just be a habit, it will be your lifestyle.

Notice that I didn't say "go to the gym"? That's because I want you to realize that you don't need to go somewhere to workout. You can, of course, join a gym if that's how you like to workout. I used to have a membership but found myself making (weak) excuses not to go like "The drive is too long" or "I haven't even packed my gym bag" or "It's probably crowded." I still go to the gym for Zumba and Yoga classes but mainly I prefer Pilates at home. My goal in this post is to show you that there are other ways to optimize your time so you can add fitness to your schedule and it doesn't always mean going to the gym (plus working out at home saves money!).

Exercise (and LuLuLemon) makes me happy, what makes you happy?