Plan your workout right: get moving part one
Know what you want. First, decide what you need fitness to do for you. For instance, you want to be thin (but not Kate Moss-esque) or you want to be stronger (think: arms like Madonna) or maybe you want to build up your endurance so you can run your first marathon with your boyfriend. Now, set your starting point. Get a fitness test at your gym, time yourself running your fastest mile, or weigh yourself and measure your waist, hips and thighs at home. You get the idea. Hide these numbers in your bedside table for one month (don’t worry—only you will see them). You now have an idea of where you are.
Keep a food and fitness diary. Write down everything you eat for a few days and one weekend day, including the milk in your coffee and the food you pinch off other people's plates. Start looking for opportunities to make healthier, lower-calorie substitutions in your diet and to be more active whenever you can. Now act on them.
Fit it in anywhere. If you don't have time for a conventional workout, try lifestyle exercise such as walking, gardening and climbing stairs. It sounds daft, but keep in mind that during a normal day you probably walk between 4,000 and 5,000 steps. With a little effort, if you take a longer route between work, school or walking home, you can probably get that number up to somewhere between 6,000 and 7,000. There’s no need to count steps, just walk whenever you can.
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