I'm getting up an hour earlier these days. I said I'd never be able to do it: I was already sleep deprived rising at 6 AM, how would I ever get up at 5? I'd never be able to get to sleep earlier (this is still true), and a hundred other reasons why it wouldn't work. And then I tried it, and it does work and I love it. I'm still sleep deprived, but that extra hour in the morning is the best thing I ever did.



Why did it take me so long to "just do it?" Probably because of the way I presented the idea to myself. I used words such as "never" and "already" as in "I'm already sleep deprived" and "I'll never be able to get up earlier." I kept telling myself it wouldn't work, that it was a bad idea and until the first time I actually tried, I secretly believed when the alarm rang, I'd just turn it off and go back to sleep. I'd forgotten how much I enjoy getting up early. Mornings are my best time of day. I'm the most productive in the morning so it makes sense to give myself an extra hour. If you're a night owl you'd do the opposite; work out at night! Really. It's okay. Some gyms are open 24-hours and you can workout at any time at home.

A small adjustment in how you run your day can help enormously in freeing up some time for things like exercise. "I don't have time." I hear that a lot but ask "What's your favorite TV show?" and most people will rattle off a whole list; CSI, Grey's Anatomy, whatever. The average person spends more than four hours a day watching TV. That's four wasted hours. There's nothing wrong with enjoying some TV, but there's also no reason you can't exercise during the commercials and maybe eventually trade one of those hours for some real workout time.

Commercial Break Workouts

When I was younger I made a game out of cleaning and I still practice this method today. I loved TV, watching as much as six hours a day, so missing a show to do chores was not going to happen. I figured out I could get my chores done during commercials. As soon as my show went to a commercial I'd jump up to wherever I'd left off. I'd bring in laundry and fold it while I watched. I'd iron in front of the TV, I'd bring in all manner of miscellaneous debris from other rooms and sort it, then at the next commercial break I'd put things where they belonged. I'd move from one room to the next, carrying things that belonged and returning with things that did not. Eventually the house was clean, and hadn't missed my programs. That same time could be used for exercise.

If you're a TV watcher, consider how much time you waste just sitting during commercials and start taking advantage of that time. Whether for exercise or cleaning, or anything else you need to get done: answering e-mails, studying, paying bills, grooming the cat; there are lots of little chores we need to do, no reason we can't carry them into our TV room and get them done.

You can turn your TV room into a fitness room easily. Add a cushy floor mat, if the room isn't carpeted. A pair of dumbbells. Fill empty bleach jugs with water or sand and you have an instant weight set. Use caution if they are not full since the sand may shift and cause injury. Canned foods make good weights too. My first exercise equipment consisted of a pair of 1-pound and 5-pound dumbbells (smartbells that is). Start now and improvise, then later add equipment. You don't need to join a gym or have to have a fully equipped home gym to get started exercising at home.

Body Weight Exercise

Push ups are an incredible exercise, mens or women's style. No special equipment needed, just get on the floor and start. Standing squats (press your back against a wall and then lower as if to sit, stand, lower, stand. Easy. The back-and-forth for 10 times equates to a "set." That's body builder parlance for exercise. Now you know.

Get up an hour earlier and you can workout before anything interferes. No matter what my exercise comes first. Unexpected calls or invitations, traffic jams, kids needing rides, nothing interferes. It's great. The consistency of a regular exercise program just makes me feel good---maybe it'll do the same for you. If you find it difficult to find the time, make time. Don't just sit during commercials, get up, get moving. Find whatever works for you then write it as a date with yourself on your calendar, and get started.

Decide You Want More

You decide how healthy you are by what you do day by day. You decide whether to get on the bike or sit on the couch. Every minute of every day you decide how to spend your time. The more often you make decisions that support what you want, the easier it becomes, until it's a new healthy habit, a way of life that supports better health. You may even start saying, "I just love to exercise," and mean it and then you'll see the pounds fall away effortlessly.