This article was written by Meredith C. She teaches fitness classes in the Body Shop, Reynolds’ company gym.

You know you should. You know it’s important. You understand regular physical activity comes with multiple benefits… right? So, what’s keeping you from staying active? For many, there are three main culprits… they don’t know how to get started, what to do, or how to stay motivated.

How To Get Started

First things first, start looking for ways to incorporate physical activity into your daily routine. It’s easy to add exercise in ways you might not have thought of before. Here are some ideas:

• Do squats while you brush your teeth.
• Stand on one foot, engaging your core for balance, while you cook or do dishes.
• Throw in some calf raises while you’re waiting in line somewhere.
• Park farther from the door everywhere you go to get in some added steps.

There are a million simple ways to begin your journey to making exercise a part of your everyday life. Be creative; no activity is too small because these little changes add up!

What To Do

When you’re ready to take on more, look for an exercise program that’s well-rounded. It should include cardiovascular and strength training. Cardio training helps your heart be more efficient pumping blood throughout your body. This will make it easier to perform everyday activities such as chasing your pets, walking up stairs, or cleaning your home.

Strength training can help increase bone density, metabolism, and muscle strength. If you’re looking to maximize your time, try High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). This combines short periods of high intensity activity and periods of rest or lower intensity activity. The good news is you don’t need any equipment to get a good workout. There are many effective exercises using your own body weight.

However, if you like to add some additional resistance for strength training, just look around the house. You can use soup cans, gallons of milk, a bag of dog food, or anything else you have around to add some extra weight.  Just be sure lids are on tight and the items you’re using aren’t made of something breakable. You don’t want to add spilled milk or broken glass to your workout.

How To Stay Motivated

The key to staying motivated is to find something you truly enjoy doing. The more you enjoy what you’re doing, the more likely you will stick with it. Set your SMART goal and have a plan for how you’re going to achieve it. An accountability partner will help increase your odds of success as well! That means find that friend and be that friend who won’t let you back out of a workout. It has to be a priority. What could be more important than your own health and well-being?

We haven’t even touched on the effect regular exercise can have on mental health. Adding physical activity to your life can have a positive impact on your mood, anxiety level, stress level, sleep… the list goes on! So, what are you waiting for? Drop and give me 20!