Summer is almost upon us so... What's stopping you?

Contributed by Mike George

Fast-forward one month…you are at Cast Aways with your protective layers of clothing, out of shape and without a tan.

Will you kick yourself for not doing something about it? You’re in control if you want to be; do you want to be? Do you believe that this summer can be different from the others?

You know that regular exercise will help live longer, feel better, and look better naked. So, what is stopping you from doing it?

Time, energy, and desire are three obstacles that you need to overcome. Under the age of 29, your body naturally maintains its levels of lean tissue (muscle, bone, blood, and vital organs). After 29, these tissues begin to deteriorate at about 1% per year.

This “atrophy” results in a lower metabolism, softer feel, weakness, and injury. Luckily, this decline can be decelerated with the right combination of cardio-vascular exercise, weight training, flexibility training and proper nutrition.

If you want to feel and look better by summer, get started now! There is no more time to waste. Starting now should yield a loss of 1-3 inches off your waist and hips, more overall tone, energy, and improved mood. The biggest step is the first one, take it this week – or see little to no improvement by summer 2009.

What should you do? Start with 3 – 5 cardio sessions per week, for 30 – 60 min. each and 2 – 3 sessions of weight bearing exercise like Personal Training or Pilates. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday do 30 min. of cardio followed by 30 min. of weights. Tuesday, and Thursday do additional cardio for 45 – 60min. Do this regularly for six weeks and you should start to see drastic improvement.

The key is consistency, log your workouts into your planner and commit to working out at a time that is realistic. Personally, I wouldn’t recommend going home after work before you go to the gym – the likelihood that you will get off the couch and go to the gym is not high. Perhaps you have a highly stressful job and you’re exhausted once you leave the office, schedule you workout time for lunch or if you’re a morning person go before work.

The most difficult thing is getting there. Psyche yourself by saying, “OK, I’ll only do a 10min work out today.” Chances are you’ll stay and finish the entire workout. Soon, your workouts will develop into a habit, and like any habit, eventually you’ll crave it. Before you know it, it’s mid-July and you’re looking good and feeling fine.