Fitness Lists of Ten (Part II)

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

23 Mar 2006 02:00 PM

I told you about five of my top ten reasons for loving spring earlier today. Here's the rest of the list along with the Spring Forward to action plan.

5. Spring means longer days and longer days always motivate me. I'm one of those people who start to flag when the sun goes down, so spring means I get more daytime hours filled with light.

4. Planning summer activities is a great springtime event; we start looking at what we're going to do this summer from vacations to swimming to sports to having friendly barbecues.

3. Spring means new challenges. My workout ramps up because I can feel summer approaching and when summer gets here; I want to go rock climbing. I want to pack in more training for a marathon this fall. I want to make my time count.

2. Spring means that school will be out soon and the sound of laughter, children's voices and more will populate the streets around the house once more. It means time with neighbors catching up in quick chats as they work on their lawns or watch their kids.

1. The best thing I love about Spring? It's not Winter anymore. The urge to bundle up under a blanket goes away and the motivation that comes trundling along with Spring is enough to get even the most recalcitrant person up and moving.

So with all of this in mind, what is the Spring Forward to action plan? We're coming to the end of the first 12 weeks of the year and on April 2nd, daylight savings time will end and we will see the days get longer and longer.

The Spring Forward to Action means it's time to set new fitness goals for the next 12 weeks of the year. You start by reviewing your accomplishments since January. If your program stagnated or halted, that's okay, it's time for a new plan of action. I'm going to be offering some suggestions over the next few days including starting a daily workout prescription that will be posted 5 days a week in April. The plan will mix cardio and strength training along with alternate suggestions for things you can do if you don't want to lift weights or burn time on a treadmill.

So pull out your goal sheets and get ready to SPRING forward into action.

Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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