My daughter once said the hardest part about exercising is putting on your shoes to do it.  In other words, the hardest part about incorporating daily exercise into one’s life is making the commitment to just do it!  No wonder Nike chose that saying as their slogan.

Laura Moncur over at the Starling Fitness blog found a truly inspiring Nike ad entitled "Someone busier than you is running."  Laura writes:

I have a love-hate relationship with Nike. I hate that they only carry uber-small clothing sizes. I hate their website. I love their watches. I love their advertising. I love Nike+.

She is embracing the "no time is no excuse" mantra for exercise. I am too! 

I am what you might consider as "uber-busy".  In addition to running a successful web development company, I am also launching a new business PLUS I home school my two younger children. I DEFINITELY do NOT have TIME to EXERCISE…. but I do.  Every day I walk 30-45 minutes minimum.  It’s not a lot… it’s not even "enough"…. but it’s as important to my day as my morning pot of coffee is.

We make time for what’s important.  It’s very frustrating to me to hear family members complain that they don’t have TIME to exercise.  Yet somehow, these same family members are very well versed about what’s going on in television land.

It’s been my observation that people who don’t "stick with" exercising are usually exercising for the wrong reasons.  In my family of origin, exercise has one purpose…. it’s to help you lose weight and if walking 2-3 miles a day didn’t accomplish weight loss in 10 days or less… well, the newly founded exercise routine would quickly become a distant memory. 

My exercise routine is 30 months old.  This most recent incarnation is not as extreme as previous exercise routines have been but then again, it’s been easier to maintain.  It hasn’t delivered overnight success… but it has delivered measurable results. 

I think the key to my exercise "success" is that my goal is NOT weight loss but rather wellness.  It puts the whole process in a new perspective.  Instead of jumping on the scales, expecting to see the number fall precipitously, I ignore the scales.  

One evening, I pulled a pair of black yoga pants from the back of my closet to go on an additional evening walk with my family.  I discovered that I hadn’t worn those pants in a while and I learned what changes walking had made in my body about 5 minutes into the walk…. my pants were literally falling off of me!  I spent the rest of the walk holding my pants up so I didn’t give the whole neighborhood a show! 

The scales didn’t show that much movement, but my body has changed significantly.  I think of all those times I started exercising only to quit after a few weeks and wonder how far I could be if I had just stuck with those earlier efforts!

Speaking of walking, great post by KJ on the power of the pedometer!  Using a pedometer is a GREAT way to set walking goals!

Lots of people busier than you are exercising…. regularly…. and feeling better for it.  Unload your excuses…pick up a pedometer and get walking!